The companying observation on stabilized viscosity (cP) for specimens of a certain grade of asphalt with 18% rubber added are from the article "viscosity Characteristics of Rubber-Modified Asphalts" (J. of Materials Civil Engr., 1996: 153_156):
2781 2900 3013 2856 2888
a. What are the values of the sample mean and sample median?
b. Calculate the sample variance using the computational formula. First subtract a convenient number from each observation.