High School

The mean of four numbers is 71.5. If three of the numbers are 58, 76, and 88, what is the value of the fourth number?

A. 64
B. 60
C. 76
D. 82

Answer :

Sure! Let's solve this step-by-step.

To find the unknown fourth number, let's follow these steps:

1. We know that the mean (average) of four numbers is 71.5.
2. The formula for the mean (average) is given by:
[tex]\[
\text{Mean} = \frac{\text{Sum of all values}}{\text{Number of values}}
\][/tex]
3. Rearranging this formula to find the sum of all values, we get:
[tex]\[
\text{Sum of all values} = \text{Mean} \times \text{Number of values}
\][/tex]
4. Plugging in the known values:
[tex]\[
\text{Sum of all values} = 71.5 \times 4 = 286
\][/tex]
5. Now, we know three of the numbers: 58, 76, and 88. Let's calculate their sum:
[tex]\[
58 + 76 + 88 = 222
\][/tex]
6. To find the fourth number, we subtract the sum of the known three numbers from the total sum of all four numbers:
[tex]\[
\text{Fourth number} = 286 - 222 = 64
\][/tex]
7. Therefore, the value of the fourth number is 64.

Hence, the correct answer is:
a. 64