Shapes of Distributions

Front

What is a symmetric distribution?

Back

A symmetric distribution is one where the left and right sides of the distribution are mirror images of each other. The mean, median, and mode are all equal.

Front

What does it mean for a distribution to be skewed right?

Back

A distribution is skewed right when the right tail (higher values) is longer or fatter than the left tail. This means that most of the data points are concentrated on the left.

Front

What does it mean for a distribution to be skewed left?

Back

A distribution is skewed left when the left tail (lower values) is longer or fatter than the right tail. This means that most of the data points are concentrated on the right.

Front

What are the characteristics of a normal distribution?

Back

A normal distribution is symmetric, bell-shaped, and characterized by its mean and standard deviation. It follows the empirical rule where approximately 68% of data falls within one standard deviation of the mean.

Front

How can you identify a skewed distribution from a histogram?

Back

In a histogram, a skewed distribution will show a longer tail on one side. If the tail is on the right, it is skewed right; if the tail is on the left, it is skewed left.

Front

What is the mean in a skewed distribution?

Back

In a skewed distribution, the mean is pulled in the direction of the skew. For a right-skewed distribution, the mean is greater than the median; for a left-skewed distribution, the mean is less than the median.

Front

What is the median in a distribution?

Back

The median is the middle value of a dataset when it is ordered from least to greatest. It divides the dataset into two equal halves.

Front

What is the mode in a distribution?

Back

The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a dataset. A distribution can have one mode (unimodal), more than one mode (bimodal or multimodal), or no mode at all.

Front

What is the range of a dataset?

Back

The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset. It gives an idea of how spread out the values are.

Front

What is a box plot?

Back

A box plot is a graphical representation of a dataset that shows the median, quartiles, and potential outliers. It helps visualize the distribution and spread of the data.