Math Test

In the Aug. 26 article about CSU remedial math classes, the question which asked the student to select the median of a list of six numbers shows the inadequacy of multiple-choice tests. An odd-numbered list of numbers (in ascending or descending order) has a unique median. An even-numbered list, as in the example, has no unique median. Only if the median is defined as the average of the two most central numbers will one get the correct answer given in the problem. Without this definition, three of the choices could be considered to be correct.

SIDNEY K. GALLY

Pasadena