What is the sum of all real numbers $x$ for which the median of the numbers $4,6,8,17,$ and $x$ is equal to the mean of those five numbers?
$\textbf{(A) } -5 \qquad\textbf{(B) } 0 \qquad\textbf{(C) } 5 \qquad\textbf{(D) } \frac{15}{4} \qquad\textbf{(E) } \frac{35}{4}$
The mean is $\frac{4+6+8+17+x}{5}=\frac{35+x}{5}$.
There are three possibilities for the median: it is either $6$, $8$, or $x$.
Let's start with $6$.
$\frac{35+x}{5}=6$ has solution $x=-5$, and the sequence is $-5, 4, 6, 8, 17$, which does have median $6$, so this is a valid solution.
Now let the median be $8$.
$\frac{35+x}{5}=8$ gives $x=5$, so the sequence is $4, 5, 6, 8, 17$, which has median $6$, so this is not valid.
Finally we let the median be $x$.
$\frac{35+x}{5}=x \implies 35+x=5x \implies x=\frac{35}{4}=8.75$, and the sequence is $4, 6, 8, 8.75, 17$, which has median $8$. This case is therefore again not valid.
Hence the only possible value of $x$ is $\boxed{\textbf{(A) }-5}.$