Math Problem Statement

The following stem-and-leaf plot represents the times in minutes required for 30 co-workers to commute to work. Use the data provided to find the quartiles.

Commute Times in Minutes Stem Leaves 2 0 2 2 5 5 8 3 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 4 2 4 6 7 7 8 8 9 5 2 3 3 4 6 7 7 7 Key: 2|0=20

Step 1 of 3 : Find the second quartile.

Solution

The second quartile (Q2), also known as the median, is the middle value of a data set when it is ordered from least to greatest. Since there are 30 data points in this stem-and-leaf plot, the second quartile will be the average of the 15th and 16th values in the ordered list.

Ordered List of Commute Times:

From the stem-and-leaf plot, the data points are:

  • 20, 22, 22, 25, 25, 28
  • 33, 34, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39
  • 42, 44, 46, 47, 47, 48, 48, 49
  • 52, 53, 53, 54, 56, 57, 57, 57

Step 1: Identify the 15th and 16th values:

  • The 15th value is 42.
  • The 16th value is 44.

Step 2: Find the second quartile (Q2):

To find Q2, take the average of the 15th and 16th values: Q2=42+442=862=43Q2 = \frac{42 + 44}{2} = \frac{86}{2} = 43

Thus, the second quartile (Q2) is 43 minutes.


Would you like to continue with the next steps or details?

Here are 5 related questions for further exploration:

  1. How do you find the first quartile (Q1) from this data set?
  2. What is the third quartile (Q3) for these commute times?
  3. Can you identify any outliers in the data based on the quartiles?
  4. How is the interquartile range (IQR) calculated using Q1 and Q3?
  5. What does the distribution of these commute times suggest about the commuting habits of the co-workers?

Tip: Quartiles divide a data set into four equal parts, making them useful for understanding data spread.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Statistics
Quartiles
Data Interpretation

Formulas

Q2 = (15th value + 16th value) / 2

Theorems

Quartile theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 8-10