Four packages have an average weight of 12.5 pounds. What is the minimum possible weight of the heaviest package in pounds if the median is 12 pounds?
Choose the correct answer
A) 12  B) 13  C) 14  D) 15  E) 16
Let us denote the weights of the packages in pounds by a, b, c, d naming from the lightest one to the heaviest one. The median is 12 pounds. Therefore (b + c) / 2 = 12.   b + c = 24   The average is 12.5 pounds. Therefore (a + b + c + d) / 4 = 12.5.   a + (b + c) + d = 50   a + 24 + d = 50   a + d = 26   The weight a must be no greater than 12, since 12 is the median. Therefore the minimum possible weight of the heaviest package is 26 – 12 = 14 pounds (all the other packages would weigh 12 pounds in this case).   Answer: 14
<result>C</result>
Four packages have an average weight of 12.5 pounds. What is the minimum possible weight of the heaviest package in pounds if the median is 12 pounds?