A school is ranking students based on their final exam scores. Two students scored the same, tying for 2nd place. If there are 5 students in total, what should the next student's r... A school is ranking students based on their final exam scores. Two students scored the same, tying for 2nd place. If there are 5 students in total, what should the next student's rank be?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking us to determine the rank of a student based on the ranking rules provided. Specifically, it indicates that two students have tied for 2nd place and asks for the rank of the next student among a total of five students.
Answer
The next student's rank is $3rd$.
Answer for screen readers
The next student's rank will be 3rd.
Steps to Solve
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Identify the ranking situation We have 5 students in total. Two students are tied for 2nd place. This means that there is no 3rd place yet.
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Determine the ranks of the students The rankings can be listed as follows:
- 1st place: 1 student
- 2nd place: 2 students (tied)
- 3rd place: not occupied yet
- After the tied students, the next student will take the next rank.
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Assign the next rank Since the two students occupy the 2nd place, the next student will be in the 3rd place.
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Resulting rank for the next student The next student, who does not tie, will be ranked 3rd.
The next student's rank will be 3rd.
More Information
In this type of ranking situation, when two or more students are tied, their ranks are counted as sharing those positions, leading to a gap in subsequent rankings. Thus, the rank sequence skips the next position.
Tips
- Mistaking the tied position: It's common to miscount ranks when students tie. Always remember that tied positions do not take up additional ranks.
- Confusing the total number of students for ranks: The total number of students does not directly influence the outcome; focus on the placement based on ties.
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