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Features of box plots

Features of box plots

Box plots provide a transition between a stacked dot plot (or histogram) and numerical statistics summarising the data. Often students have difficulty visualising the data from the plot.

A box plot is based on the five-number summary for the data set:

  • the minimum value
  • the first (or lower) quartile
  • the median
  • the third (or upper) quartile and
  • the maximum.

Generally a box plot appears without the data.

S_CM_M4_TA3_fig1

 

Using a stacked dot plot at the same time as the box plot can help students visualise the data distribution.

S_CM_M4_TA3_fig2

 

The software TinkerPlots can show the percentage of the data in each part of the box plot.

S_CM_M4_TA3_fig3

 

The next step is using box plots to make informal inferences.

The amount of overlap of box plots for two data sets helps determine whether a difference in the data sets (and their underlying populations) is meaningful or not.

Criteria are discussed in the article Box Plots in the Australian Curriculum on the AAMT website.

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Name Class Section
Document Year 10: Construct and interpret box plots and use them to compare data sets Infobox 3
Document Source Infobox 3