Final answer:
To determine if a histogram is symmetric or skewed, we assess the relative positions of the mean, median, and mode. A symmetric distribution has these three values approximately equal and the histogram's halves mirror each other. A right-skewed histogram has a tail extending right, whereas a left-skewed histogram's tail extends left.
Step-by-step explanation:
When analyzing whether a histogram is symmetric, skewed right, or skewed left, certain aspects of the distribution of data are considered. Symmetry in a histogram indicates that if a vertical line were drawn at some midpoint, the left and right sides would be mirror images. In a symmetric distribution, the mean, median, and mode are usually equivalent or very close to each other. To determine skewness, we look at the arrangement of these three measures: for a skew to the right, the mode is often less than the median, which is less than the mean. Conversely, a distribution skewed to the left typically has the mean less than the median, which is less than the mode.
A histogram for a right-skewed distribution will often show a tail extending to the right, indicating that larger numbers in the dataset are more spread out. On the other hand, a histogram with a left-skewed distribution will show a tail that extends to the left, which implies that the lower numbers are more spread out.