To find the median of a set of numbers, you need to follow a few straightforward steps. The median is the middle value in a list of numbers that have been sorted in ascending or descending order. Let’s break down the process using the numbers provided: 12, 8, 5, 6, 1, 10, and 13.
1. **Sort the Numbers**: First, we need to arrange the numbers in ascending order:
1, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13
2. **Count the Numbers**: Now, we need to see how many numbers there are in the sorted list. In this case, there are 7 numbers.
3. **Determine the Median**: Since there is an odd number of values, the median will be the middle number. To find this, you can use the formula for the median’s position:
Median Position = (n + 1) / 2
Where n
is the number of values. Plugging in our numbers:
Median Position = (7 + 1) / 2 = 4
4 is the position of the median in our sorted list. Now, looking at our sorted list:
- 1
- 5
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 13
The number in the 4th position is 8.
Therefore, the median of the numbers 12, 8, 5, 6, 1, 10, and 13 is 8.