What is the median of the set {5, 3, 8, 9, 1}?

To find the median of a set of numbers, you first need to arrange the numbers in ascending order. The given set is {5, 3, 8, 9, 1}. When we sort it, we get {1, 3, 5, 8, 9}.

The median is defined as the middle number in a sorted list of numbers. In this case, there are five numbers in the sorted set, which is an odd count. To determine the median, we take the number that is located in the middle position. With five numbers, the middle position is the third number in the sorted list.

Looking at our sorted list {1, 3, 5, 8, 9}, the third number is 5. Hence, the median of the set is 5, making it the correct answer. The concept of the median is fundamental in statistics, as it provides a measure of central tendency that is less affected by extreme values compared to the mean.