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GCE As Level Representation of Data Box and Whisker Plot

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12 views

GCE As Level Representation of Data Box and Whisker Plot

Hdjsknhsjjj

Uploaded by

bvitira.k
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GCE A Level Maths 9709

SMIYL
April 2023

5.1 Representation of Data


In this topic we will learn how to:
• draw and interpret box and whisker plots

Box and Whisker Plot

A box and whisker plot is used to represent discrete data. However,


it does not show all the data points. It consists of the box and the
whiskers. It helps to give a general understanding of how the data is
spread.

To draw a box and whisker plot you need the following information:
• minimum value
• lower quartile
• median
• upper quartile
• maximum value

To calculate the median, we use the formula,


n+1
q2 =
2

The formula above, gives us the position of the median, which is


denoted by q2 and n represents the sample size.

To calculate the lower quartile, we use the formula,


1
q1 = (n + 1)
4

1
Where q1 represents the lower quartile.

To calculate the upper quartile, we use the formula,


3
q3 = (n + 1)
4

Where q3 represents the upper quartile.

To calculate the interquartile range, we use the formula,

IQR = q3 − q1

Where IQR represents the interquartile range, q3 represents the upper


quartile, q1 represents the lower quartile.

Let’s look at some past paper questions.


1. The times in minutes taken to run a marathon were recorded for a group
of 33 marathon runners and were found to be as follows:

190 203 215 246 249 253 255 254 258 260 261
263 267 269 274 276 280 288 283 287 294 300
307 318 327 331 336 345 351 353 360 368 375

(9709/62/M/J/19 number 6)
(a) Draw a box and whisker plot to illustrate the times for these 33
people.

To be able to draw a box and whisker plot. We need the


minimum value, lower quartile, median, upper quartile and
the maximum value. The minimum value is,

190

The maximum value is,


375

Let’s find the lower quartile,


1
q1 = (n + 1)
4
1
q1 = (33 + 1)
4
q1 = 8.5

2
Notice how, there is no data point in position 8.5, so we get
the average of data points on position 8 and 9,
190 203 215 246 249 253 255 254 258 260 261
263 267 269 274 276 280 288 283 287 294 300
307 318 327 331 336 345 351 353 360 368 375
254 + 258
q1 =
2
q1 = 256

Let’s find the upper quartile,


3
q3 = (n + 1)
4
3
q3 = (33 + 1)
4
q3 = 25.5

Notice how, there is no data point in position 25.5, so we


get the average of the data points on position 25 and 26,
190 203 215 246 249 253 255 254 258 260 261
263 267 269 274 276 280 288 283 287 294 300
307 318 327 331 336 345 351 353 360 368 375
327 + 331
q3 =
2
q3 = 329

Let’s find the median,


1
q2 = (n + 1)
2
1
q2 = (33 + 1)
2
q2 = 17

Find the data point at position 17,


190 203 215 246 249 253 255 254 258 260 261
263 267 269 274 276 280 288 283 287 294 300
307 318 327 331 336 345 351 353 360 368 375
q2 = 280

3
Now that we have the necessary requirements, we can now
draw the box and whisker plot. Mark the minimum and
maximum values with a line each, these will represent the
whiskers. To draw the box, mark the lower quartile and the
upper quartile, these will be the edges of the box. Inside
the box, label the median with a line. Finally, join the
whiskers to the box. Don’t forget to label the x-axis, with
the appropriate label. The box represents the interquartile
range, the whiskers represent the extreme values.

180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 380
Time (minutes)

(b) Find the interquartile range of these times.

The formula for interquartile range is,

IQR = q3 − q1

Substitute the lower and upper quartiles,

IQR = 329 − 256

IQR = 73

Therefore, the final answer is,

IQR = 73

2. Two machines A and B, produce metal rods of a certain type. The lengths,
in metres, of 19 rods produced by machine A and 19 rods produced by
machine B are measured. It is given that, the minimum value of A is

4
0.220, maximum value is 0.254, lower quartile is 0.231, upper quartile is
0.245, median is 0.238. It is given that, the minimum value of B is 0.211,
maximum value is 0.256, lower quartile is 0.224, upper quartile is 0.243,
median is 0.232.(9709/52/M/J/20 number 3)
(a) Draw box and whisker plots for A and B.

Sketch the box and whisker plots, with A above B, and label
them. Ensure that the extreme values are the whiskers, and
the box is marked by the lower and upper quartiles. Insert
the lines for the median inside their respective boxes. Don’t
forget to label the x-axis.

Plot A

Plot B

0.21 0.22 0.23 0.24 0.25 0.26


Length (metres)

(b) Hence make two comparisons between the lengths of the rods pro-
duced by machine A and those produced by machine B.

Since B has a larger interquartile range (box) than A, the


length of rods it produces is more spread.

Since the median of B is smaller than that of A, the lengths


of B are, on average smaller than those of A.

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