When defining the median for an odd number of measurements, should we use [(n+1)/2]th or [(n+1)/2]nd?

Question

I am aware of a related question but I am nor sure if having the number 2 in the denominator makes a difference.

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– Andrew Leach ♦
Dec 22, 2021 at 18:59 — Andrew Leach, Dec 22, 2021 at 18:59

Edwin Ashworth · Accepted Answer · 2021-12-22 19:33:43Z

2

An educational article from the relevant Singapore Government Agency website has

' ... the (n+1)/2 -th term'

and I'm sure other texts will follow this practice (though I'd prefer the th as a superscript and without the hyphen).

This surely reflects how one would pronounce this when necessary (though I think I got away with two times per A-Level Maths cohort).

answered Dec 22, 2021 at 19:33

Edwin Ashworth

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But if you superscript it, then it looks like you're raising 2 to the th-th power.
– Hellion
Dec 22, 2021 at 20:09
If you don't, it looks like the denominator is (2 - th) {or 2th if you omit the hyphen). The superscript is the lesser of two evils.
– Edwin Ashworth
Dec 23, 2021 at 14:24

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