SINGLE-VARIABLE DATA

BIG IDEAS:
• Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of
spread (range, interquartile range) are used to analyze single-variable data
• Box plots provide a visual representation of a single-variable data set’s
central tendency and spread using its quartiles

LEARNING GOALS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

You know you have met the goals for this lesson when you can:

ANCHOR SKILL BUILDING

LEARNING GOALS
QUESTIONS QUESTIONS
Determine the mean, median and mode of a given data set 1 1 2 3 4
EMERGING

Identify a specific type of measure as a measure of central

3 5 6
tendency or a measure of spread
Match the name of a type of graph with its visual representation 4

Suggest an appropriate type of graph to use for a given context 5

ANCHOR SKILL BUILDING

LEARNING GOALS
QUESTIONS QUESTIONS
State the highest and lowest values, median, range, quartile
7 7 8 9 10
values and interquartile range of a data set from its box plot
EVOLVING

Make a box plot for a given data set 8, 9, 13 11 12 13 14

Compare data sets by analyzing their box plots 10, 15 15 16 17 18

Identify the shapes of various histograms and predict the shape
17, 18
of a histogram corresponding to a specific context

ANCHOR SKILL BUILDING

LEARNING GOALS
QUESTIONS QUESTIONS
Make generalized statements about mean, median and mode
19 19 20
for a histogram with a specified shape
EXTENDING

Create a modified box plot for a given data set 20

Single-Variable Data
BUILD YOUR SKILLS
1. Determine the mean, median and mode for the following data set.

9 12 7 14 7 18 14 9 15 14

2. Explain the purpose of measures of central tendency and measures of spread.

3. Identify each of the following as either a measure of central tendency or a measure of spread.

a) mean b) range c) interquartile range d) median e) mode

4. Match the name of each graph type with the corresponding diagram.

a) 60 b)
50 Names:
40

30 • circle graph
20 • double bar graph
10 • box plot
0
• histogram

c) d)

5. Guneet would like to compare the amount of snowfall per month for two Canadian provinces.
Which type of graph from question #4 would be most appropriate for displaying this data?

6. Explain the meaning of single-variable data.

Single-Variable Data
7. For the data set described by the box plot below, state

a) the median.
b) the greatest value.
c) the lowest value.
d) the range.
e) the value of the first quartile.
f) the value of the third quartile.
g) the interquartile range.

8. Create a box plot for each of the following data sets.

a) 4 4 6 7 7 9 11 12 b) 12.3 8.5 9.6 7.4 10.5 5.2 9.4 8.8 11.2

9. The final grades for a biology class are given below.

74 68 81 77 93 84 76 73 88 87 44 78
81 86 72 53 90 47 92 75 73 96 85 66

a) Create a box plot for the data set.

b) Calculate the interquartile range and explain the meaning of this value.

10. Consider the two box plots shown below.

a) Which data set contains the greatest value?

b) Which data set contains the lowest value?
c) Which data set has a greater range?
d) Which data set has a greater interquartile range?

11. Although box plots may display less information than histograms, explain why box plots might
sometimes be preferred over histograms.

Single-Variable Data
12. The table on the right shows the number of absences recorded for Number of Number of
the students in a class. Create a box plot of this data. Absences Students
0 10
1 5
13. The table below shows the heights of the 30 girls who tried out 2 4
for their school volleyball team. Create a box plot of this data.
3 3
Height Frequency 4 4
(cm) 5 0
155–160 2 6 1
160–165 3
165–170 5
170–175 8
175–180 6
180–185 2
185–190 3
190–195 1

14. Max’s annual net income is $75 000. He plans to use $11 250 of this income for transportation.

a) What percentage of Max’s annual net income will be dedicated to transportation?

b) If a circle graph is created to display Max’s budget, what central angle would be used for
the transportation sector?

15. The careers of two basketball players consisted of the same number of seasons. The following
box plots are based on their average points per game for each season.

a) Which of the two players had the season with highest average points per game?
b) Which player was more consistent?
c) Which player had more seasons with an average points per game at or above 34?

16. The bar graph on the right shows the number of unique
visitors to a website during the months of March and
April. Explain how this graph could be misleading.

Single-Variable Data
17. Match the name of each histogram shape with the corresponding diagram.

a) b)
Shapes:

• uniform
• bell shaped
• left skewed
• right skewed
• bimodal

c) d) e)

18. Predict the shape of a histogram displaying each of the following.

a) The weights of newborn babies.

b) The ages of death from natural causes.
c) The number of customers in a restaurant each hour from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

19. What is typically true about the relationship among the mean, median and mode for a data set
that results in a right skewed histogram?

20. A value in a data set is considered to be an outlier if it is above the third quartile or below the
first quartile by more than 1.5 times the interquartile range. A modified box plot is created the
same way as a standard box plot, but outliers are displayed as points beyond the “whiskers” (see
the example below). The maximum and minimum values that define the modified box plot’s
“whiskers” come from the data set’s greatest and least values that are not outliers. Create a
modified box plot for the data in question #9.

Single-Variable Data
 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. mean = 11.9, median = 13, mode = 14

2. Measures of central tendency are values that describe the middle or central value of a data set,
whereas measures of spread describe the dispersion or consistency of the values in a data set.

3. a) measure of central tendency b) measure of spread c) measure of spread

b) measure of central tendency e) measure of central tendency

4. a) double bar graph b) circle graph c) histogram d) box plot

5. double bar graph

6. Single-variable data is data based on a single characteristic. It is often given as a single list of
numbers. The main purpose of single-variable data is to describe an attribute, without giving
consideration to the possible causes of a result.
ANSWERS

7. a) 9 b) 19 c) 4 d) 15 e) 6 f) 13.5 g) 7.5

8. a) b)

9. a)

b) The interquartile range is 14, so the middle 50% of the grades have a range of 14.

10. a) Data Set 2 b) Data Set 1 c) Data Set 2 d) Data Set 1

11. The key values shown in a box plot (median, minimum, maximum, first quartile, and third
quartile) are not clearly displayed in a histogram and are usually impossible to determine
exactly. Furthermore, since multiple box plots can be displayed on the same graph, it’s much
easier to compare several box plots than it is to compare several histograms.

12.

Single-Variable Data
13.

14. a) 15% b) 54°

15. a) Player 2 b) Player 1 c) Player 1

16. Starting the vertical axis at 19 000 instead of 0 makes the increase in unique visitors from March
to April appear significantly greater than it actually is. The relative heights of the bars suggest
that the number of unique visitors tripled from March to April, but it actually only increased by
10%.

17. a) bell shaped b) right skewed c) uniform d) left skewed e) bimodal

18. a) bell shaped b) left skewed c) bimodal

ANSWERS
19. mode < median < mean

20.

Single-Variable Data