Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Sep 1312:30 AM EDT
-01:30 AM EDT
Struggling to find the right strategies to score a 99 %ile on GMAT Focus? Riya (GMAT 715) boosted her score by 100-points in just 15 days! Discover how the right mentorship, tailored strategies, and an unwavering mindset can transform your GMAT prep.
Sep 1301:30 AM EDT
-02:30 AM EDT
At one point, she believed GMAT wasn’t for her. After scoring 595, self-doubt crept in and she questioned her potential. But instead of quitting, she made the right strategic changes. The result? A remarkable comeback to 695. Check out how Saakshi did it.
Sep 1507:00 PM EDT
-09:00 PM EST
Elite scores are possible when you enroll in a powerful GMAT course, taught live online + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Tues/Thurs Sept. 15, 2026 - Nov. 15, 2027, 7:00pm-9:00pm EST
Sep 1808:00 PM PDT
-09:00 PM PDT
Video explanations + diagnosis of 10 weakest areas + 150+ short videos + study plan!
Sep 2107:00 PM EDT
-10:00 PM EDT
Boost your GMAT score in less than one month in a live online class + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri Sept. 21, 2026 - Oct. 9, 2027, 7:00pm-10:00pm EST
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
80% (01:43) correct
20%
(01:44)
wrong
based on 3825
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
If the numbers 17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 were ordered from greatest to least, the middle number of the resulting sequence would be
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
_________________
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
_________________
New to the GMAT Club?
- • Questions: Question Bank | Bunuel's Signature Collection
• Tests: GMAT Club Tests | Forum Quiz
• Guides: Quantitative | Critical Reasoning | Reading Comprehension | Ultimate Quant Guide | All You Need for Quant
• Rules: Quantitative | Verbal
SOLUTION
If the numbers 17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 were ordered from greatest to least, the middle number of the resulting sequence would be
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
The least common denominator for all the fractions above is 48:
\(\frac{17}{24}=\frac{34}{48}\), \(\frac{1}{2}=\frac{24}{48}\), \(\frac{3}{8}=\frac{18}{48}\), \(\frac{3}{4}=\frac{36}{48}\), \(\frac{9}{16}=\frac{27}{48}\).
The numerators in descending order are: 36, 34, 27, 24, 18. The middle number is 27, which corresponds to \(\frac{9}{16}=\frac{27}{48}\).
Answer: E.
_________________
If the numbers 17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 were ordered from greatest to least, the middle number of the resulting sequence would be
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
The least common denominator for all the fractions above is 48:
\(\frac{17}{24}=\frac{34}{48}\), \(\frac{1}{2}=\frac{24}{48}\), \(\frac{3}{8}=\frac{18}{48}\), \(\frac{3}{4}=\frac{36}{48}\), \(\frac{9}{16}=\frac{27}{48}\).
The numerators in descending order are: 36, 34, 27, 24, 18. The middle number is 27, which corresponds to \(\frac{9}{16}=\frac{27}{48}\).
Answer: E.
_________________
New to the GMAT Club?
- • Questions: Question Bank | Bunuel's Signature Collection
• Tests: GMAT Club Tests | Forum Quiz
• Guides: Quantitative | Critical Reasoning | Reading Comprehension | Ultimate Quant Guide | All You Need for Quant
• Rules: Quantitative | Verbal
IanStewart
Expert
GMAT Tutor
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Last visit: 13 Sep 2026
Posts: 4,146
Location: United States
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V47
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V47
Posts: 4,146
Hoozan
Yes, that's true when everything is positive -- the idea is, if you add a to the numerator and b to the denominator of a fraction, its overall value moves towards a/b. That can be a great way to compare fractions quickly when other techniques (common denominator, benchmarking, converting to decimal, etc) would be awkward. Here, I'd use that principle, but only once -- we can almost immediately see here that 3/8 < 1/2 < 9/16 < 3/4, whether by comparing each fraction to 1/2, getting a common denominator of 16, or using knowledge of decimal conversions. To find which number is the median, the only question is whether 17/24 is less than or greater than 9/16. And going from 9/16 to 17/24, we're adding 8 to the numerator and 8 to the denominator, so the value of the fraction would move towards 8/8 = 1, and therefore must get bigger since we're starting with a fraction less than 1, and 9/16 < 17/24 must be true. So 9/16 is in the middle.
For your second question, again assuming everything is positive, subtraction will work in the opposite way as addition (e.g. subtracting 8 on the top and on the bottom, as you were doing, will move you away from 8/8 = 1). But there's never any reason to think about subtraction, because you can always think only about addition in situations like this. So rather than start, in this question, from 17/24, and notice you subtract 8 from the top and bottom to get to 9/16, you can instead start from the fraction with the smaller numbers, 9/16, and notice you add 8 to the top and bottom to get to 17/24. Then you're in a situation that is easier to think about, conceptually.
_________________
now teaching gmat focus
ianstewartgmat.com
ianstewartgmat.com
General Discussion
Posts: 4,849
[quote="Bunuel"]The Official Guide For GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2ND Edition
If the numbers 17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 were ordered from greatest to least, the middle number of the resulting sequence would be
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 - Multiply all the fractions by 48 we get: 34, 24, 18, 36, 27
So 36 is the greatest which is 3/4
If the numbers 17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 were ordered from greatest to least, the middle number of the resulting sequence would be
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 - Multiply all the fractions by 48 we get: 34, 24, 18, 36, 27
So 36 is the greatest which is 3/4
Schools: HEC Dec"18
Posts: 33
Bunuel
Take LCM of denominators and get common denominator to all fractions so that you can compare the numerators and arrange in the increasing or decreasing order
LCM of denominators is 48
fractions can be rewritten as
34/48,24/48,18/48,36/48,27/48.
now arrange them
18/48,24/48,27/48,34/48,36/48
hence the middle element is 27/48=9/16
beatthegmat05
Joined: 13 Feb 2013
Last visit: 21 Sep 2021
Posts: 19
Location: United States
Concentration: Finance, General Management
Schools: Harvard '24
GMAT Date: 07-28-2014
GPA: 3.75
WE:Consulting (Computer Software)
Schools: Harvard '24
Posts: 19
Easiest way to solve this type of question is to find a common multiplier for denominators of all the given number.
As we can see that the Common Factor for all the denominators- 24,2,4,8,16 is 48 .
Multiply each number by 48-
(17/24)*48 = 34
(1/2)*48 = 24
(3/8)*48 = 18
(3/4)*48 = 36
(9/16)*48 =27
So the given number becomes - 34,24,18,36,27
In descending order - 36,34,27,24,18
So mid-number is 27 .
Now again to get the required answer divide it by 48 -> 27/48 = 9/16
So answer is (E)
Note: Although the explanation may look lengthy but when we do it pen-paper it will not take more that 15 sec.
As we can see that the Common Factor for all the denominators- 24,2,4,8,16 is 48 .
Multiply each number by 48-
(17/24)*48 = 34
(1/2)*48 = 24
(3/8)*48 = 18
(3/4)*48 = 36
(9/16)*48 =27
So the given number becomes - 34,24,18,36,27
In descending order - 36,34,27,24,18
So mid-number is 27 .
Now again to get the required answer divide it by 48 -> 27/48 = 9/16
So answer is (E)
Note: Although the explanation may look lengthy but when we do it pen-paper it will not take more that 15 sec.
Approach 1:
Here, taking LCM for all the denominators, as others suggested, would be a good idea.
Approach 2:
Alternatively, if we are little good at approximation, looking at the numbers, we can say that 3/8 is the least and 3/4 is the greatest. Comparing 17/24 and 9/16 will be the slightly trickiest thing in this problem.
9/16 will be a little more than half(1/2).
17/24 will be a little less than 3/4 as 18/24 will give 3/4.
So, if we arrange from greatest to least, the order will be 3/4, 17/24, 9/16, 1/2, 3/8. Since we are asked for the middle element, 9/16 will be the answer.
Ans is (E).
Here, taking LCM for all the denominators, as others suggested, would be a good idea.
Approach 2:
Alternatively, if we are little good at approximation, looking at the numbers, we can say that 3/8 is the least and 3/4 is the greatest. Comparing 17/24 and 9/16 will be the slightly trickiest thing in this problem.
9/16 will be a little more than half(1/2).
17/24 will be a little less than 3/4 as 18/24 will give 3/4.
So, if we arrange from greatest to least, the order will be 3/4, 17/24, 9/16, 1/2, 3/8. Since we are asked for the middle element, 9/16 will be the answer.
Ans is (E).
Posts: 52
Ans should be (e)..9/16
We can see the other nos relative to 1/2 i.e. 50%.
Just by seeing numerator and denominator 3/4 and 3/8 can be placed on either side of 1/2. 17/24 and 9/16 are definitely greater than 1/2.
So, to check which no comes in 3rd place, we can individually compute their values and see that 9/16 is smaller than 17/24.
So 9/16 must be at the 3rd spot and thus, the middle no.
We can see the other nos relative to 1/2 i.e. 50%.
Just by seeing numerator and denominator 3/4 and 3/8 can be placed on either side of 1/2. 17/24 and 9/16 are definitely greater than 1/2.
So, to check which no comes in 3rd place, we can individually compute their values and see that 9/16 is smaller than 17/24.
So 9/16 must be at the 3rd spot and thus, the middle no.
Correct Sequence in descending order should be
3/4 ,17/24,9/16,1/2,3/8
hence middle term is 9/16
answer E
Find the common denominator then compare.
_________________
3/4 ,17/24,9/16,1/2,3/8
hence middle term is 9/16
answer E
Find the common denominator then compare.
_________________
- Stne
Answer is E, I spent a little bit too much time on this though.
I made a number line and put in the obvious ones. The "problem" was deciding between 9/16 and 17 24 -> I realized I could reach a common denominator and it became clear which was bigger.
I made a number line and put in the obvious ones. The "problem" was deciding between 9/16 and 17 24 -> I realized I could reach a common denominator and it became clear which was bigger.
Finding a common denominator is the easiest way to solve this problem:
All we need to do is get to the third number of the sequence and we have our answer (because the third is the median of the set)
18/48, 24/48, 27/48...
So the middle of the set is 27/48 = 9/16
All we need to do is get to the third number of the sequence and we have our answer (because the third is the median of the set)
18/48, 24/48, 27/48...
So the middle of the set is 27/48 = 9/16
Posts: 29
Bunuel
My least common denominator is coming out to be 96. How did we arrive at 48?
Thank You!
nandetapuri
Isn't 48 divisible by 24, 2, 8, 4, and 16?
Basically we need to find the LCM of 24 = 2^3*3 and 16 = 2^4, which is 3*2^4 = 48.
_________________
New to the GMAT Club?
- • Questions: Question Bank | Bunuel's Signature Collection
• Tests: GMAT Club Tests | Forum Quiz
• Guides: Quantitative | Critical Reasoning | Reading Comprehension | Ultimate Quant Guide | All You Need for Quant
• Rules: Quantitative | Verbal
ScottTargetTestPrep
Expert
Target Test Prep Representative
Joined: 14 Oct 2015
Last visit: 11 Sep 2026
Posts: 22,738
Status:Founder & CEO
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Location: United States (CA)
Expert reply
Posts: 22,738
Bunuel
We can express each fraction using a common denominator. The LCD here is 48, so we have:
17/24 = 34/48, 1/2 = 24/48, 3/8 = 18/48, 3/4 = 36/48 and 9/16 = 27/48
In ascending order, we have:
18/48, 24/48, 27/48, 34/48, 36/48
So the middle number is 27/48, or 9/16.
Answer: E
_________________
Scott Woodbury-Stewart | Founder and
CEO |
[email protected]
See why Target Test Prep is the top rated GMAT course on GMAT Club. Read Our Reviews
Fraction to percentage would be quicker
We just need to know the following for any decimal to fraction to percentage conversion
\(\frac{1}{2}\) = (50%, .05) ,\(\frac{1}{3}\) = (33.3%, .3333) ,\(\frac{1}{4}\) = (25%, .25) ,\(\frac{1}{5}\) = (20%, .2) \(\frac{1}{6}\) = (16.66%, .1666) ,\(\frac{1}{7}\) =(14.28%, .1428) ,\(\frac{1}{8}\) =(12.5%, .125) ,\(\frac{1}{9}\) = (11.1%, .111) ,\(\frac{1}{10}\) = (10%,.1),\(\frac{1}{11}\) = (9.1%, .0909) ,\(\frac{1}{13}\) = (7.7%, .077) ,\(\frac{1}{17}\) = (5.9%, .059) ,\(\frac{1}{19}\) = (5.3%, .053) ,\(\frac{1}{23}\) = (4.3%, .0435) ,\(\frac{1}{29}\) = (3.40%, .0345) ,\(\frac{1}{31}\) = (3.2%, .0323)
\(\frac{17}{24}\) = 68%
\(\frac{1}{2}\) = 50%
\(\frac{3}{8}\)= 36%
\(\frac{3}{4}\)= 75%
\(\frac{9}{16}\)= 54%
75>68>54>50>36
So D>A>E>B>C
We just need to know the following for any decimal to fraction to percentage conversion
\(\frac{1}{2}\) = (50%, .05) ,\(\frac{1}{3}\) = (33.3%, .3333) ,\(\frac{1}{4}\) = (25%, .25) ,\(\frac{1}{5}\) = (20%, .2) \(\frac{1}{6}\) = (16.66%, .1666) ,\(\frac{1}{7}\) =(14.28%, .1428) ,\(\frac{1}{8}\) =(12.5%, .125) ,\(\frac{1}{9}\) = (11.1%, .111) ,\(\frac{1}{10}\) = (10%,.1),\(\frac{1}{11}\) = (9.1%, .0909) ,\(\frac{1}{13}\) = (7.7%, .077) ,\(\frac{1}{17}\) = (5.9%, .059) ,\(\frac{1}{19}\) = (5.3%, .053) ,\(\frac{1}{23}\) = (4.3%, .0435) ,\(\frac{1}{29}\) = (3.40%, .0345) ,\(\frac{1}{31}\) = (3.2%, .0323)
\(\frac{17}{24}\) = 68%
\(\frac{1}{2}\) = 50%
\(\frac{3}{8}\)= 36%
\(\frac{3}{4}\)= 75%
\(\frac{9}{16}\)= 54%
75>68>54>50>36
So D>A>E>B>C
Posts: 27
[quote="Bunuel"]The Official Guide For GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2ND Edition
If the numbers 17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 were ordered from greatest to least, the middle number of the resulting sequence would be
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
One quick way to look at the fractions is to quickly convert it into decimal / percentage ...
i ) 17/24 = 0.70
ii ) 1/2 = 0.50
iii) 3/8 = 0.37 ( you dont have to find the exact decimal, 3 is less than half of 8)
iv) 3/4 = 0.75
v) 9/16 = 0.56 ( you dont have to find the exact decimal, 9 is just little above half of 16 )
arrange in ascending order...
Ans : E
If the numbers 17/24, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, and 9/16 were ordered from greatest to least, the middle number of the resulting sequence would be
(A) 17/24
(B) 1/2
(C) 3/8
(D) 3/4
(E) 9/16
One quick way to look at the fractions is to quickly convert it into decimal / percentage ...
i ) 17/24 = 0.70
ii ) 1/2 = 0.50
iii) 3/8 = 0.37 ( you dont have to find the exact decimal, 3 is less than half of 8)
iv) 3/4 = 0.75
v) 9/16 = 0.56 ( you dont have to find the exact decimal, 9 is just little above half of 16 )
arrange in ascending order...
Ans : E
well its time consuming to calculate decimals, the most efficient way would be to make the denominators equal by 48
Probus
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
Posts: 469
Moderator:
Announcements
How to Tell If Your GMAT Prep Resources Are Actually Helping You
Subscribe to GMAT Club for New Podcast Episodes, Debriefs, & Insightful Sessions on GMAT Preparation
Subscribe to GMAT Club for New Podcast Episodes, Debriefs, & Insightful Sessions on GMAT Preparation
Tuck at Dartmouth
AI at Dartmouth Tuck: How the School Is Preparing Leaders for the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Inside the courses, research, and hands-on learning defining wise, decisive leadership in an AI-driven world.
Read More
Inside the courses, research, and hands-on learning defining wise, decisive leadership in an AI-driven world.
Read More
Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos
Success stories and strategies from high-scoring candidates.