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The histogram shows the distribution of the annual hours of commuting delay per traveler for 46 small and medium urban areas, fewer than one million in population.

Which of the following must be true?
a) The mean is greater than the median.
b) The mean is less than the median.
c) The mean is the same as the median.

1 Answer

5 votes

Final Answer:

The mean is less than the median is true statement.The correct option is b) The mean is less than the median.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is (b) The mean is less than the median. To understand this, we need to consider the shape of the histogram. When the distribution is positively skewed (meaning there are a few extreme values on the higher end), the mean tends to be pulled in the direction of those extreme values, making it higher than the median.

In a positively skewed distribution, the tail of the histogram extends towards the right, indicating higher values. The mean is sensitive to extreme values, and if there are commuters with significantly longer delays, it will push the mean to be greater than the median.

Conversely, if the distribution is negatively skewed (more data points with lower values), the mean will be less than the median. This is because the mean is influenced by extreme values, and in a negatively skewed distribution, these extreme values are on the lower end.

Therefore, considering the nature of commuting delays and the fact that urban areas often experience congestion and occasional significant delays, it's reasonable to conclude that the mean is less than the median in this scenario. This aligns with the understanding of skewed distributions and the impact of extreme values on the mean.

The correct option is b) The mean is less than the median.

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