Measures of Center and Spread to Analyze Data

• a

• b

• c

• d

• a

• b

• c

• d

If we use the mean to measure the typical value or center of the data, we would use the _________ to measure the variability.

• IQR

• Median

• Mean

• Standard Deviation

Corinne is planning a beach vacation in July and is analyzing the daily high temperatures for her potential destination. She would like to choose a destination with a high median temperature and a small interquartile range. She constructed box plots shown in the diagram above. Which destination has a median temperature above 80 degrees and the smallest interquartile range?

• Ocean Beach

• Whispering Palms

• Serene Shores

• Pelican Beach

Which summary statistic should be used to compare the two data sets and why?

• The median and the interquartile range because they are normally distributed.

• The median and the interquartile range because they are skewed.

• The mean and the standard deviation because they are normally distributed.

• The mean and the standard deviation because they are skewed.

What is the Intergquartile range of the box-plot with the lesser IQR?

(a)  

If data is skewed right the ________ is more appropriate.

• mean

• median

• maximum

If data is symmetric the ________ is more appropriate.

• mean

• median

• minimum

Which statistic is more resistant to outliers?

• mean

• median

The box-and-whisker plots shown below represent the salaries of employees at two different

companies.

What is the difference between the median salaries of the employees at the two companies?

• $0

• $500

• $1000

• $2000