Question

Sally looks at her college transcript and says to​ you, ​"How is this​ possible? My grade point average​ (GPA) for this​ semester's courses is higher than my GPA for last​ semester's courses, but my cumulative GPA still went down from last semester to this​ semester." Explain to Sally how this is possible.

Answer 1

If Sally's GPA in this semester is lesser than her cumulative GPA, her cumulative GPA is still going to decrease, no matter her GPA for last semester.

Explanation:

If Sally's GPA in this semester is lesser than her cumulative GPA, her cumulative GPA is still going to decrease, no matter her GPA for last semester.

Example

Let's Suppose that Sally got a GPA of 4 in her first 3 semesters. So her cumulative GPA is:

`GPA = (3*4)/(3) = 4`.

In the fourth semester, she got a GPA of 3. So her cumulative GPA after four semesters is:

`GPA = (3*4 + 3)/(4) = 3.75`

Then she got a GPA of 3.5 in the fifth semester. So her cumulative GPA after five semesters is:

`GPA = (3*4 + 3 + 3.5)/(5) = 3.7`