Math Problem Statement

The number of letters received in the mail over the past week is recorded.

2 3 5 5 5 15

Which value appears to be an outlier?

Solution

The data set you provided is:

2, 3, 5, 5, 5, 15.

To identify the outlier, we can observe that most of the values are clustered around 2 to 5, while 15 is significantly higher than the others. This large deviation makes 15 appear to be the outlier.

Would you like to see a more formal method to detect this outlier, such as calculating the interquartile range (IQR) or using standard deviation?

Here are 5 questions related to outliers:

  1. What are some formal methods for detecting outliers in a data set?
  2. How does the interquartile range (IQR) help in identifying outliers?
  3. Why is it important to detect outliers in a statistical analysis?
  4. Can outliers affect the mean and median of a data set? How?
  5. Are there any scenarios where an outlier should not be removed from a data set?

Tip: Always examine the context of the data before deciding to remove or address outliers. Sometimes outliers are legitimate and provide valuable insights.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Statistics
Outliers
Data Analysis

Formulas

Interquartile Range (IQR)
Standard Deviation

Theorems

Outlier Identification Rules
Box Plot Method

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 6-8