Question

The Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles and makes publicly available data from a range of different sectors of the economy. One value that is reported is a weighted average of the costs of certain goods, called the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is related to the price but is not a dollar amount. The rise in prices is used as a metric of inflation. To make the metric more reliable, a chained CPI was created. The regular CPI does not update the types of goods it averages often enough to reflect the market trends, like a switch from apples to oranges resulting from a rise in apple prices. The chained CPI is a measure of price that takes this into account, and there are several bills that are tied to the chained CPI index in order to determine the payout the bill allots each year. The monthly average chained CPI for urban apparel for all urban consumers for 10 consecutive months is provided below. The data are not seasonally adjusted. Construct a box and whisker plot using a TI-83, TI-83 Plus, or TI-84 graphing calculator to choose the correct plot below. All plots have the following window settings: Xmin=88, Xmax=100.5, Xscl=0.5, Ymin=−0.5, Ymax=3.5, Yscl=1, Xres=1.

Answer 1

I can provide guidance on how to create a box and whisker plot on a TI-83, TI-83 Plus, or TI-84 graphing calculator using the given data.

To create a box and whisker plot:

Enter the data into a list on the calculator. For example, L1={90.1, 91.1, 91.5, 92.2, 92.5, 93.1, 94.0, 94.6, 96.1, 98.3}.

Press STAT, then go to Edit.

Select L1, then press STAT again and select CALC.

Choose 1-Var Stats and press Enter. This will generate a list of statistics for the data set.

Press 2nd, then Y= (STAT PLOT).

Select Plot1, then turn it on.

Choose Box Plot as the plot type.

Select L1 as the data list.

Set the X list to any unused list (e.g. Xlist: L2).

Make sure the frequency is set to 1.

Set the window settings as follows: Xmin=88, Xmax=100.5, Xscl=0.5, Ymin=−0.5, Ymax=3.5, Yscl=1, Xres=1.

Press GRAPH to view the box and whisker plot.

Note: If the plot does not display properly, try adjusting the Ymax and Ymin values until the plot is visible.