fix Median operation returns incorrect result for unsorted odd-length inputs

[williballenthin]

closes #2239

[CLAassistant]

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✅ williballenthin
❌ Codex
❌ Copilot
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[williballenthin]

I can open corresponding PRs for #2240-#2243.

Will you accept PRs that have been partially or wholly created with AI? I'm happy to disclose and put my name behind the work. I can strip the committer metadata pointing to Codex/Copilot/Claude/whatever for CLA purposes, but I don't intend to hide this from the maintainers. If you don't want to consider these contributions, I also completely understand.

[GCHQDeveloper581]

Will you accept PRs that have been partially or wholly created with AI? I'm happy to disclose and put my name behind the work. I can strip the committer metadata pointing to Codex/Copilot/Claude/whatever for CLA purposes, but I don't intend to hide this from the maintainers. If you don't want to consider these contributions, I also completely understand.

I'm going to consult on this one, so bear with us for a bit.

[williballenthin]

In the meantime, I'll continue to report bugs with suggested fixes, and you can address them as you see fit. If you'd like me to open PRs, I'm happy to do so.

[GCHQDeveloper581]

Please do continue to submit bugs with suggested fixes.

I think we are coming towards a consensus behing-the-scenes on the AI-assisted PRs issue, but we will need a little more time to ensure unanimity on the best course of action.

[williballenthin]

see #2284