What is a box and whisker plot?

Answer 1

I see and appreciate Skypilot's response, and as a teacher in NY State, I have taught box and whisker plots. Definitely check out the site that Skypilot gave, but here's the skinny.

Box and whisker plots are a good way to explain certain types of data. Like, what's a normal height? what's average?

Let's say that we line up 100 random people in a row. We make them stand in shortest to tallest order. Then we say, "person number 1, 25, 50, 75, and 100, please step forward!"

Those people are important because they are the shortest, a quarter of the way up, halfway, three quarters of the way up, and the tallest. They help us understand where all the other 95 people are in general. Because wouldn't it be hard to talk about everybody?!

The box of the graph is person 25 through 75. The whiskers are from person 1 to 25 and from person 75 through 100.

1``25``50````````75````100
[---{`````|```````````}------]

These graphs don't have to be symmetrical, because who knows! Maybe there's a giant in the group!! Or maybe there are just tons of normal people. Above, it looks like there are a few taller people but most people are a little shorter. What do you think?

Answer 2

Here's a webpage that makes it Very simple to understand

http://regentsprep.org/Regents/math/data/boxwhisk.htm

Answer 3

http://regentsprep.org/Regents/math/data/boxwhisk.htm