Box & Whisker Plot

Box & Whisker Plot

Toolkit Entry

Create a box & whisker plot

1. Organize data from LEAST to greatest.

2. Find the MEDIAN by crossing out numbers until you reach the middle.

   1. If there are two middle numbers, add them together and divide by 2. 

3. Find the lower quartile by finding the median of the LOWER half (below the median) of the data set.

   1. If there are two middle numbers, add them together and divide by 2. 

4. Find the upper quartile by finding the median of the upper half (above the median) of the data set.

   1. If there are two middle numbers, add them together and divide by 2. 

5. Number the number line accordingly.

6. Mark the median, lower quartile and upper quartile on the number line with vertical lines. Connect all three lines then to create a box.

7. Plot the MAXIMUM (smallest) and maximum (largest) numbers in the set with a dot.

8. Connect the dots to the box to create the whiskers.

Create a box & whisker plot

15, 16, 19, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 40

Median:

Lower Quartile:

Upper Quartile:

Minimum:

Maximum: 

Create a box & whisker plot

15, 16, 19, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 40

​

Median: 28

Lower Quartile: 19

Upper Quartile: 32

Minimum: 15

Maximum:40 

Median: Orange line

Lower Quartile: Red line

Upper Quartile: Purple line

Minimum: Blue dot

Maximum: Green dot​

​

Box & Whisker

​

Analyzing Box & Whisker

Each part of the graph is 25% of the data.

​

50% of the data lies inside the box while 50% of the data is in the WHISKERS.