If r, s, and t are different odd numbers greater than 1, what is the m

Question

If r, s, and t are different odd numbers greater than 1, what is the median of r, s, and t?

1)  rs=15 
2)  r+s+t=19

BrentGMATPrepNow · Answer

Target question :    What is the median of r, s, and t?

Given : r, s, and t are different odd numbers greater than 10

Statement 1 : rs = 15  
Since r and s are odd numbers greater than 1, we know that one value is 3 and the other value is 5. 
Since r, s, and t are  different odd numbers greater than 1 , we know that t does not equal 1, 3 or 5. So, t must be an odd number greater than 5. 
So, our three values (r, s and t) look like this {3, 5, some odd integer greater than 5}
We can see that the  median of this set MUST BE 5 
Since we can answer the  target question  with certainty, statement 1 is SUFFICIENT

Statement 2 : r+s+t = 19 
Hmmm, if r, s and t are DIFFERENT ODD integers (greater than 1), in how many ways can their sum = 19?
This requires some testing. 
Here are two possible scenarios: 
Case a: the numbers are {3, 5, 11}. The sum = 19. In this case  the median = 5 
Case b: the numbers are {3, 7, 9}. The sum = 19. In this case  the median = 7 
Since we cannot answer the  target question  with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer:  A

RELATED VIDEO FROM OUR COURSE
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9f_0QJU1ug

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Solution 
 Step 1: Analyse Question Stem 
 • r, s, and t are odd integers
 o r, s, and t are distinct integers greater than 1  
we need to find the median of r, s, and t.
 Step 2: Analyse Statements Independently (And eliminate options) – AD/BCE 
 Statement 1:   r*s = 15 
 • There are only two possibilities
 o Case 1,  r = 3 , then  s = 5, t > 5 , because of the given conditions.
  Median of  3, 5, t = 5  
o Case 2,  r= 5  then  s = 3, t > 5 , because of given conditions.
  Median of  3, 5, t = 5   
 Hence, statement 1 is sufficient, we can eliminate answer options B, C, and E.
 Statement 2:   r + s + t = 19 
 • Case 1:  r = 3, s = 5 , and  t =11 
 o Then  r+s+t = 3 + 5 + 11 = 19 
  Median = 5   
• Case 2:  r = 3, s = 7 , and  t = 9 
 o Then  r+s+t = 3+7 + 9 = 19 
  Median =  7 .   
We are getting different values of the median.
Hence, statement 2 is not sufficient, the correct answer is  Option A .

bumpbot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club BumpBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.

If r, s, and t are different odd numbers greater than 1, what is the m

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Data Sufficiency (DS) Questions

If r, s, and t are different odd numbers greater than 1, what is the m

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards