Analyzing the Setup
Imagine you are a detective at a crime scene, but instead of fingerprints, you are looking at a dataset. You have ten numbers, but two of them, α and β, are missing.
You are given the mean and the variance of the entire set. As an elite JEE aspirant, you know that the path of least resistance is often the path of greatest insight. We are not here to find the individuals; we are here to find the sum of their squares.
The Mean's Secret
The mean is the heartbeat of any dataset. It is defined as:
We know the mean is 56 and the number of observations n is 10. This gives us a total sum of 560.
When we look at our data, we see eight known numbers: 65,68,58,44,48,45,60,60. Summing these up, we get 448.
Thus, the equation:
simplifies beautifully to α+β=112. This is a vital piece of the puzzle, but we still require the sum of squares.
The Variance's Power
Now, we turn to the variance, σ2=66.2. We use the computational formula:
This formula is a gift. It allows us to jump straight to the sum of squares without needing to know the individual values of α and β.
Substituting our known values, we get:
Calculating 562 gives us 3136. So, 66.2=10∑xi2−3136.
Adding 3136 to both sides, we get 10∑xi2=3202.2. Multiplying by 10, we find the total sum of squares:
Final Calculation
We are now at the finish line. The total sum of squares is the sum of the squares of the eight known numbers plus α2+β2.
Let us calculate the sum of the squares of the knowns:
652+682+582+442+482+452+602+602
This yields:
4225+4624+3364+1936+2304+2025+3600+3600=25678
Finally, we subtract this from our total sum of squares:
The elegance of this solution lies in its efficiency. We never needed to know α or β.
Remember this: in the JEE, the most elegant solution is often the one that avoids unnecessary work. You have mastered the data, and the final result is 6344.