Question

2.64 Insect Weights Consider a dataset giving the adult weight of species of insects. Most species of insects weigh less than 5 grams, but there are a few species that weigh a great deal, including the largest insect known: the rare and endangered Giant Weta from New Zealand, which can weigh as much as 71 grams. Describe the shape of the distribution of weights of insects. Is it symmetric or skewed? If it is skewed, is it skewed to the left or skewed to the right? Which will be larger, the mean or the median?

Answer 1

The distribution of weights of insects is skewed to the right, with a few species weighing a great deal. In such cases, the mean is typically larger than the median.

Step-by-step explanation:

The distribution of weights of insects is most likely skewed to the right. This means that there are a few species of insects that weigh a great deal compared to the majority of species that weigh less. The rare and endangered Giant Weta is an example of an insect that weighs much more than the average.

When a distribution is skewed to the right, the mean is typically larger than the median. This is because the few high values in the dataset pull the mean towards the right, while the median remains closer to the majority of values.