How it works
The range is the biggest number less the smallest.
The median is the middle number. The box holds the middle half of the data: from Q1 to Q3.
The mean absolute deviation tells how far the data is from the mean on average.
Worked examples
Find the median
- Heights: 54, 59, 60, 60, 61, 65, 66.
- Put them in order and take the middle one.
- The median is 60.
The range
- The smallest is 54 and the biggest is 66.
- 66 − 54 = 12.
- The range is 12.
Mean absolute deviation
- Data: 63, 59, 59, 65, 64. The mean is 62.
- Distances from 62: 1, 3, 3, 3, 2. They add to 12.
- 12 ÷ 5 = 2.4, so the MAD is 2.4.
A taste of the worksheet
These are the first problems of set A. The printable sheet has many more, with an answer key.
- The range is the biggest number less the smallest. What is the range of this data? Answer: ___
- The dot plots show two sets of data. Which set is more spread out?
- These five numbers describe a data set. What is the interquartile range (IQR)? Answer: ___
- Set Q has the larger range.