Shubham ranked 17th from the top and 44th from the bottom in his class. How…

When a person's rank is known from both the top and the bottom of a fixed group, the total size of the group equals the sum of the two ranks minus one, since the person holding both ranks is a single individual counted once in each direction: Total = (Rank from top) + (Rank from bottom) minus 1.

1. Let n be the total number of students in Shubham's class.

2. Shubham's rank from the top is 17, so there are 16 students ranked above him.

3. Shubham's rank from the bottom is 44, so there are 43 students ranked below him.

4. Adding the students above him, the students below him, and Shubham himself gives n = 16 + 43 + 1 = 60.

Cross-check: with n = 60 students, Shubham's rank counted from the bottom is n minus (rank from top) plus 1, that is 60 minus 17 plus 1 = 44, which matches the value given in the question, confirming the total is consistent.

So, there are 60 students in Shubham's class.