Boxplot Activity

ACTIVITY SHEET: FIVE-NUMBER SUMMARY AND BOXPLOTS
This activity sheet includes exercises to assess students understanding of important concepts
presented in the Boxplot lesson.
Five-Number Summary and Boxplots

The data for these exercises are in the Minitab file Boxplot_Activity.mtw.
Exercise 1
The following table shows the running times (in minutes) of a sample of videotape versions of n
= 22 movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Movies are listed in alphabetical order. The data are in
the Minitab columns Hitchcock Movies and Running Times.
Film
Time
Film
Time
The Birds
119
Psycho
108
Dial M for Murder
105
Rear Window
113
Family Plot
120
Rebecca
132
Foreign Correspondent
120
Rope
81
Frenzy
116
Shadow of a Doubt
108
I Confess
108
Spellbound
111
The Man Who Knew Too Much
120
Strangers on a Train
101
Marnie
130
To Catch a Thief
103
North by Northwest
136
Topaz
126
Notorious
103
Under Capricorn
117
The Paradise Cane
116
Vertigo
128
(a) By hand, calculate the five-number summary statistics (minimum, maximum, first quartile
(Q1), second quartile (Q2), and third quartile (Q3)) for this data. The data below are ordered from
minimum to maximum.
(b) By hand, calculate the interquartile range (IQR) for this data.
(c) By hand, calculate the lower and upper fences for a boxplot of this data using the IQR from
part (b). Recall that the lower fence is at position Q1 1.5 * IQR with the upper fence at Q3 + 1.5
* IQR.
(d) Use the fences from part (c) to determine the data values for the endpoint of the lower
whisker, the endpoint of the upper whisker, and outliers (if any). Outliers are points beyond the
fences.
(e) Verify the statistics you calculated in parts (a) and (b) in Minitab.
Minitab 17
1
2
3
4
Choose Stat > Basic Statistics > Display Descriptive Statistics.

In Variables, enter Running Times.
Click Statistics and check Minimum, Maximum, First quartile, Median, Third quartile,
and Interquartile range.
Click OK in each dialog box.
Minitab Express
1
2
3
4
Open the descriptive statistics dialog box.

Mac: Statistics > Summary Statistics > Descriptive Statistics
PC: STATISTICS > Descriptive Statistics
In Variable, enter Running Times.
Click the Statistics tab, and then select Minimum, Maximum, First quartile, Median,
Third quartile, and Interquartile range.
Click OK.
(f) By hand, construct a boxplot using the statistics from parts (a) (d). In the plot, make sure to
include and label the following: Q1, Q2, Q3, IQR, lower whisker endpoint, upper whisker endpoint,
and outliers (if any).
(g) Verify the boxplot in part (f) with the boxplot that Minitab produces.
Minitab 17
1
2
3
4
Choose Graph > Boxplot.

Under One Y, choose Simple, then click OK.
Under Graph variables, enter Running Times.
Click OK.
Minitab Express
1
2
3
Open the boxplot of a single y variable dialog box.

Mac: Graphs > Boxplot > Single Y Variable: Simple
PC: GRAPHS > Boxplot > Single Y Variable: Simple
In Variable, enter Running Times.
Click OK.
Include a more descriptive title with the boxplot, such as Boxplot of a Sample of Hitchcock Film
Lengths. You can do this by double-clicking on the current title and entering a new title in the
Edit Title dialog box. Similarly, include the units on the vertical axis.
To check Minitabs values for Q1, Q2, Q3, IQR, lower whisker endpoint, and upper whisker
endpoint, hover over the boxplot. If there are any outliers, hover over them to see their values.
Exercise 2
Consider the boxplot to the right. Which of
the following statements are true?
I. The boxplot is positively skewed.
II. The interquartile range is about 8.
III. The median is about 10.
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and III
(E) II and III
Exercise 3
Go to the website http://www.notdoppler.com/theimpossiblequiz.php. This is a fun quiz with
answers that dont always make sense the first time around. You are given 3 lives at the start of
the quiz, but lose a life every time you answer a question incorrectly. If this is the first time you
are trying this quiz, dont expect to get many problems correct before losing your 3 lives.
In class, students take the quiz and are asked to record the number of questions they answer
correctly before losing their 3 lives. A boxplot of the numbers is shown below.
Three students had already seen this

quiz prior to class, which explains the
highly unusual outliers.
Which of the following statements are true?

I. The boxplot is positively skewed.
II. The upper fence must be above 20.
III. The median is less than 5.
IV. There are 3 outliers at approximately 25, 38, and 45.
V. The horizontal axis indicates that approximately 50 students took the quiz in class.
(A) I, III, IV only
(B) I, II, III, IV only
(C) I, III, IV, V only
(D) All of them
(E) III, IV only
Exercise 4
Below are the ages, ordered from youngest to oldest, at which U.S. presidents began their (nonconsecutive) first terms, from George Washington to Barack Obama. The data are in the Minitab
column Presidents Ages.
(a) By hand or in Minitab, calculate the five-number summary statistics (minimum, maximum,
first quartile (Q1), second quartile (Q2), and third quartile (Q3)) for this data. See Exercise 1 for
instructions on how to obtain these values in Minitab.
(b) By hand or in Minitab, calculate the interquartile range (IQR) for this data.
(c) By hand, calculate the lower and upper fences for a boxplot of this data, using the IQR from
part (b). Recall that the lower fence is at Q1 1.5 * IQR with the upper fence at Q3 + 1.5 * IQR.
(d) Use the fences from part (c) to determine the data values for the lower whisker endpoint,
upper whisker endpoint, and outliers (if any). Outliers are points beyond the fences.
(e) In Minitab, construct a boxplot using the statistics from parts (a) (d). See Exercise 1 for
instructions on how to obtain this plot in Minitab.
Exercise 5
Match each histogram to the boxplot that represents the same data set.
30
50
25
Frequency
20
Frequency
40
15
30
20
10
10
5
0
10
40
20
30
1
Frequency
Frequency
15
20
10
20
10
15
75
70
10
65
60
55
10
C
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
D
8
Boxplot A matches histogram ______.
Boxplot B matches histogram ______.
Boxplot C matches histogram ______.
Boxplot D matches histogram ______.
Exercise 6
Temperatures in the cities of Math Village and Stat Village are greatest in the month of August.
The highest temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, in Math Village for each August from 1972 to
2013 is given below. The temperatures are sorted from minimum to maximum over this 42-year
period.
The highest temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, in Stat Village for each August from 1972 to
2013 is given below. The temperatures are sorted from minimum to maximum over this 42-year
period.
(a) Create comparison boxplots for the highest temperature in Math Village versus Stat Village
in August from 1972 to 2013. Use a meaningful title and correctly label the axes with units.
Minitab 17
1
2
3
4
Choose Graph > Boxplot.

Under Multiple Ys, choose Simple, then click OK.
Under Graph variables, enter Math Village Temps and Stat Village Temps.
Click OK.
Minitab Express
1
2
3
Open the boxplot of multiple y variables dialog box.

Mac: Graphs > Boxplot > Multiple Y Variables: Simple
PC: GRAPHS > Boxplot > Multiple Y Variables: Simple
In Variables, enter Math Village Temps and Stat Village Temps.
Click OK.
(b) Given the comparison boxplots in part (a), answer the following true/false questions about
the data from both villages.
A. The temperatures are more variable for Stat Village than Math Village.
B. The temperatures in Stat Village are positively skewed.
C. Stat Village has a greater median temperature for those 42 years than Math Village.
D. Stat Village has a smaller IQR than Math Village.
E. It is obvious from the boxplots that Stat Villages mean temperature for those 42 years is less
than Math Villages temperatures.
T
F
F. The lower whisker endpoint for Stat Village is less than the lower whisker endpoint for Math
Village.
T
F
G. Stat Villages second quartile is less than Math Villages first quartile.
H. If you prefer August high temperatures that are consistently around 85 degrees Fahrenheit,
then you should move to Stat Village.
T
F

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ACTIVITY SHEET: FIVE-NUMBER SUMMARY AND BOXPLOTS

Five-Number Summary and Boxplots

Dial M for Murder

The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Paradise Cane

Choose Stat > Basic Statistics > Display Descriptive Statistics.

Open the descriptive statistics dialog box.

Choose Graph > Boxplot.

Open the boxplot of a single y variable dialog box.

(C) III only

(D) I and III

(E) II and III

Three students had already seen this

Which of the following statements are true?

(B) I, II, III, IV only

(C) I, III, IV, V only

(D) All of them

(E) III, IV only

Boxplot A matches histogram ______.

Boxplot B matches histogram ______.

Boxplot C matches histogram ______.

Boxplot D matches histogram ______.

Choose Graph > Boxplot.

Open the boxplot of multiple y variables dialog box.

B. The temperatures in Stat Village are positively skewed.

D. Stat Village has a smaller IQR than Math Village.

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