Exploring Box-and-Whisker Plots

Mrs. Howard introduces box and whisker plots, explaining their components and how they summarize data using quartiles. She demonstrates constructing a plot by arranging data, finding medians, and identifying quartiles. A quick check example reinforces understanding, followed by a corn yield example to discuss data variability and outliers.

What is the primary purpose of a box and whisker plot?

• To compare two different datasets

• To show the distribution of a categorical dataset

• To calculate the mean of a dataset

• To summarize a set of data along a number line

What is the first step in creating a box and whisker plot?

• Finding the median

• Arranging the data from least to greatest

• Drawing the whiskers

• Identifying the quartiles

How is the lower quartile found in a dataset?

• By finding the median of the upper half of the data

• By identifying the lowest value in the dataset

• By calculating the mean of the entire dataset

• By finding the median of the lower half of the data

How is the upper quartile of a dataset determined?

• By identifying the highest value in the dataset

• By calculating the mean of the dataset

• By finding the median of the upper half of the dataset

• By finding the median of the entire dataset

What does the right whisker in a box and whisker plot represent?

• The highest value in the dataset

• The upper quartile

• The lowest value in the dataset

• The median of the dataset

What does the box in a box and whisker plot represent?

• The range of the dataset

• The total dataset

• The outliers in the dataset

• The middle 50% of the dataset

In which year was the corn yield more varied according to the box and whisker plot?

• The variation cannot be determined from the plot

• 1999

• 2003

• Both years had the same variation

How do the median yields of 1999 and 2003 compare?

• 1999 had a higher median yield

• 2003 had a higher median yield

• The median yields were approximately the same

• The comparison cannot be made without exact numbers

What is an outlier in the context of box and whisker plots?

• The median value of the dataset

• A value that is significantly different from the majority of the data

• The highest value in the dataset

• The point where the whisker meets the box

Can you determine if any states yielded exactly 100 bushels per acre from the box and whisker plot?

• Yes, by looking at the median

• No, because the plot does not provide exact values

• Yes, if it's marked as a point on the plot

• Yes, by calculating the range