Final answer:
The total number of students in the class, counting both Sam's rank from the top and from the bottom and adjusting for double-counting, is 46.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question states that Sam is ranked 9th from the top in his class, and 38th from the bottom. To find out the total number of students, we add Sam's rank from the top to his rank from the bottom, but we subtract one because Sam is being counted twice - once from the top and once from the bottom. Therefore, the total number of students in the class is 46 (9 + 38 - 1 = 46).
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