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Box-and-Whisker Plots 7.2: Activity

This document provides instructions and examples for creating and interpreting box-and-whisker plots. It introduces key vocabulary like quartiles and shows how to find the median and quartiles of a data set. Examples demonstrate how to construct a box-and-whisker plot, read information from a single or double plot, and identify outliers. Exercises provide practice creating and analyzing box-and-whisker plots for various data sets.

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Thomas Atkinson
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550 views6 pages

Box-and-Whisker Plots 7.2: Activity

This document provides instructions and examples for creating and interpreting box-and-whisker plots. It introduces key vocabulary like quartiles and shows how to find the median and quartiles of a data set. Examples demonstrate how to construct a box-and-whisker plot, read information from a single or double plot, and identify outliers. Exercises provide practice creating and analyzing box-and-whisker plots for various data sets.

Uploaded by

Thomas Atkinson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

English

7.2

Spanish

Box-and-Whisker Plots

How can you use a box-and-whisker plot to


describe a population?

ACTIVITY: Drawing a Box-and-Whisker Plot


Work with a partner.

Numbers of First Cousins

The numbers of first cousins of


each student in an eighth-grade
class are shown.

3
9
23
6
12
13

A box-and-whisker plot uses a number


line to represent the data visually.

10
3
19
3
45
24

18
0
13
3
1
16

8
32
8
10
5
14

a. Order the data set and write it on a strip of grid paper with 24 equally
spaced boxes.

Fold the paper in half to find the median

b. Fold the paper in half again to divide the data into four groups. Because
there are 24 numbers in the data set, each group should have six numbers.

Least
value

First
Quartile

Median

Third
Quartile

Greatest
value

c. Draw a number line that includes the least value and the greatest value in
the data set. Graph the five numbers that you found in part (b).
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

d. Explain how the box-and-whisker plot shown below represents the data set.
Least
value

First
Quartile

0
0

280

Chapter 7

Median

Third
Quartile

10
5

10

Greatest
value

17
15

Data Analysis and Displays

45
20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Number
of Cousins

English

Spanish

ACTIVITY: Conducting a Survey


Conduct a survey in your class. Ask each
student to write the number of his or her first
cousins on a piece of paper. Collect the pieces
of paper and write the data on the chalkboard.
Now, work with a partner to draw a
box-and-whisker plot of the data.
Two people are first cousins if they
share at least one grandparent, but
do not share a parent.
First
Cousins

ACTIVITY: Reading a Box-and-Whisker Plot


Work with a partner. The box-and-whisker plots show the test
distributions of two eighth-grade standardized tests.
score dist
The tests were taken by the same group of students. One test
was taken in the fall and the other was taken in the spring.
Compare and contrast the test results.
a. Com
b. Decide
which box-and-whisker plot represents the
Dec
results of which test. How did you make your decision?
res

50

32
0

10

20

30

40

63

50

60

50

60

72

82

100

71
70

100
80

90

100

110

4. IN YOUR OWN WORDS How can you use a box-and-whisker plot to


describe test scores?
5. Describe who might be interested in test score distributions like those
shown in Activity 3. Explain why it is important for such people to
know test score distributions.

Use what you learned about box-and-whisker plots to complete


Exercise 4 on page 284.
Section 7.2

Box-and-Whisker Plots

281

English

7.2

Spanish

Lesson
Lesson Tutorials

Key Vocabulary
box-and-whisker plot,
p. 282
quartiles, p. 282

Box-and-Whisker Plot
A box-and-whisker plot displays a data set along a number line
using medians. Quartiles divide the data set into four equal parts.
The median (second quartile) divides the data set into two halves.
The median of the lower half is the first quartile. The median of the
upper half is the third quartile.

Study Tip

EXAMPLE

median

first quartile

A box-and-whisker plot
shows the variability of
a data set.

whisker

least
value

third quartile

box

whisker

greatest
value

Making a Box-and-Whisker Plot


Make a box-and-whisker plot for the ages of the members of the
2008 U.S. womens wheelchair basketball team.
24, 30, 30, 22, 25, 22, 18, 25, 28, 30, 25, 27
Step 1: Order the data. Find the median and the quartiles.
lower half
least
value

upper half
greatest
value

18 22 22 24 25 25 25 27 28 30 30 30
first quartile, 23

third quartile, 29

median, 25

Step 2: Draw a number line that includes the least and greatest
values. Graph points above the number line for the least
value, greatest value, median, first quartile, and third
quartile.
Step 3: Draw a box using the quartiles. Draw a line through the median.
Draw whiskers from the box to the least and greatest values.

Age
18

Exercises 57

282

Chapter 7

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

1. A basketball player scores 14, 16, 20, 5, 22, 30, 16, and 28 points
during a tournament. Make a box-and-whisker plot for the
points scored by the player.

Data Analysis and Displays

English

Spanish

EXAMPLE

Interpreting a Box-and-Whisker Plot

What does the box-and-whisker plot tell you about the data?

Study Tip
A long whisker or box
indicates data is more
spread out.

48

EXAMPLE

50

52

54

56

58

60

62

64

66

68

70

Height
(inches)

72

The left whisker is longer than the right whisker. So, the data are
more spread out below the first quartile than above the third quartile.
The range of the data is 72 50 = 22 inches.

Standardized Test Practice


Which statement is true about the double box-and-whisker plot?
Your class
Friends class

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

Test
Score

100

A Half of the test scores in your class are between 85 and 100.

B 25% of the test scores in your friends class are 80 or above.

C The medians are the same for both classes.

D The test scores in your friends class are more spread out than the test

scores in your class.


The range of the test scores in your class is less than the range in your
friends class. Also, the box for your friends class is longer than the box
for your class. So, the test scores in your friends class are more spread out
than the test scores in your class.
The correct answer is
D .

Exercise 10

2. Compare the surfboard prices of Shop A and Shop B.


What are three conclusions you can make from the double
box-and-whisker plot?
Shop A
Shop B

100

200

300

400

500

600

Section 7.2

700

800

900

Surfboard
Price (dollars)

Box-and-Whisker Plots

283

English

Spanish

Exercises

7.2

Help with Homework

1. VOCABULARY In a box-and-whisker plot, what percent of the data is


represented by each whisker? the box?
2. WRITING Describe how to find the first quartile of a data set.
3. NUMBER SENSE What does the length of the box-and-whisker plot tell you
about the data?

6)=3
9+(- 3)=
3+(- 9)=
4+(- =
1)
9+(-

4. The box-and-whisker plots show the monthly car sales for a year for two sales
representatives. Compare and contrast the sales of the two representatives.
Sales Rep A
Sales Rep B

12

16

20

24

Cars
Sold

28

Make a box-and-whisker plot for the data.


1

5. Hours of television
watched: 0, 3, 4, 5, 3, 4,
6, 5

6. Lengths (in inches) of


cats: 16, 18, 20, 25, 17,
22, 23, 21

8. ERROR ANALYSIS Describe and


correct the error in making a
box-and-whisker plot for the
data.

7. Elevations (in feet):


2, 0, 5, 4, 1, 3, 2,
0, 2, 3, 6, 1

5, 9, 4, 6, 7, 3, 4, 7, 8, 3, 5, 8

9. FISH The lengths (in inches) of the fish caught on a fishing trip are 9, 10, 12,
8, 13, 10, 12, 14, 7, 14, 8, and 14. Make a box-and-whisker plot for the data.
What is the range of the data?
2 10. INCHWORM The table shows the lengths
of 12 inchworms. Make a box-and-whisker
plot for the data. What does the box-and-whisker
plot tell you about the data?
Length (cm)

284

Chapter 7

2.5

2.4

2.3

2.5

Data Analysis and Displays

2.7

2.1

2.8

2.6
26

2.1
21

2.6
26

2.9
29

2.0
20

10

English

Spanish

11. CALORIES The table shows the number of calories


burned per hour for nine activities.

Calories Burned per Hour

a. Make a box-and-whisker plot for the data.

Fishing

207

Mowing the lawn

325

Canoeing

236

Bowling

177

Hunting

295

Fencing

354

Bike racing

944

Horseback riding

236

Dancing

266

b. Identify the outlier.


c. Make another box-and-whisker plot without
the outlier.
d. WRITING Describe how the outlier affects
the whiskers, the box, and the quartiles of the
box-and-whisker plot.

12. CELL PHONES The double box-and-whisker plot compares


the battery life (in hours) of two brands of cell phones.
a. What is the range of the upper 75% of each brand?
b. Which battery has a longer battery life? Explain.
Bra A
Brand
Brand B

2.5

3.5

4.5

5.5

6.5

Battery
Life
(hours)

Create a set of data values whose box-and-whisker


plot has the given characteristic(s).
13. The least value, greatest value, quartiles, and median are all
equally spaced.
14. Both whiskers are the same length as the box.
15. The box between the median and the first quartile is three times
as long as the box between the median and the third quartile.
16. There is no right whisker.

Write an equation of the line that passes through the points.

SECTION 3.3

17. (4, 10), (2, 8)

18. (3, 3), (0, 1)

19. (4, 1), (4, 1)

20. (6, 7), (8, 8)

21. MULTIPLE CHOICE You run 10 feet per second. What is this rate in
miles per hour?
A 0.11 mi/h

B 6.82 mi/h

C 10.23 mi/h

Section 7.2

SECTION 1.5
D 14.67 mi/h

Box-and-Whisker Plots

285

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