IXL | Interpret measures of center and variability

Marvin is waiting tables at a local restaurant a few nights a week. He records the total amount of tips he receives each time he works. Last month, Marvin worked 10 shifts and earned at least

35.50

in tips each night. On two nights, he earned over

The mean of the tips he earned each shift was

53.75

and the mean absolute deviation was

11.25

Which best describes the typical amount Marvin earned in tips for a shift?

11.25

35.50

53.75

ref_doc_title.

Learn with an example

question

Lillian enjoys looking at maps. Last weekend, she looked at a map that showed the elevation of the highest cities in the world, all of which are at least 4,500 meters above sea level. Of the 16 cities on the list, 11 are in Asia and the other 5 are in South America. The median elevation of the cities is 4,727.5 meters above sea level, and the interquartile range is 305 meters.

Which is a measure of how much the cities' elevations vary?

11 meters

305 meters

4,500

meters

4,727.5 meters

key idea

The median is the middle value when a data set is ordered from least to greatest. It describes the center of the data set.

The interquartile range (IQR) is the range of the middle

50%

of the data set. It describes the variability of the data set.

solution

You want to describe how much the cities' elevations vary.

Use the interquartile range, since it describes the variability of the data set. The IQR is 305 meters.

So, the cities' elevations vary by 305

meters.

Looking for more? Try these:

Lesson: Mean, median, mode, and range

Lesson: Interquartile range

Lesson: Mean absolute deviation

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Teacher tools

Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

JJ.2Calculate mean, median, mode, and range

JJ.6Calculate mean absolute deviation

JJ.7Calculate quartiles and interquartile range

Lesson: Mean, median, mode, and range

Lesson: Interquartile range

Lesson: Mean absolute deviation

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