What is the mean height of the following five heights: 5 feet 6 inches, 5 feet 9 inches, 5 feet 4 inches, 5 feet 11 inches, 5 feet 8 inches?

• A. 5 feet 7 2/5 inches
• B. 5 feet 7 3/5 inches
• C. 5 feet 8 inches
• D. 5 feet 7 inches

Answer: (B)

Calculating the mean height means averaging all measurements by using a common unit. Convert every height to inches: 5'6" is 66 inches, 5'9" is 69 inches, 5'4" is 64 inches, 5'11" is 71 inches, and 5'8" is 68 inches. Add them: 66 + 69 + 64 + 71 + 68 = 338 inches. Divide by 5 measurements to get the mean: 338 / 5 = 67.6 inches. Convert back to feet and inches: 60 inches is 5 feet, so 67.6 inches is 5 feet plus 7.6 inches. The 7.6 inches can be written as 7 and 0.6 inches, and 0.6 inches equals 3/5 of an inch. Therefore, the mean height is 5 feet 7 3/5 inches.