The mean height of 5 students is 59.4. If one of the students leaves, the mean height becomes 61. What is the height of the absent student?
total height: 5*59.4
total height: 4*61+absentstudent
set them equal, and solve for absent student height.
To find the height of the absent student, we can use the concept of mean. Mean is calculated by summing up all the values and dividing by the total number of values.
Let's assume the height of the absent student is represented as "x".
First, we can calculate the sum of the heights of the 5 students, since the mean height is given as 59.4. We know that the sum is equal to the mean multiplied by the number of values:
Sum of heights = Mean height * Number of students = 59.4 * 5 = 297
Now, let's consider the scenario where one student leaves. We are given that the new mean height is 61. With 4 students remaining, we can calculate the new sum of heights:
New sum of heights = Mean height * Number of students = 61 * 4 = 244
Since we know that the sum of heights decreased by the height of the absent student (297 - x), we can set up an equation:
New sum of heights = Sum of heights - x
244 = 297 - x
Solving for x:
x = 297 - 244
x = 53
Therefore, the height of the absent student is 53.