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The histogram shows the distribution of prices of plain pizza slices for 150 weeks. Which summary statistics should be reported?

a) The median and standard deviation
b) The mean and IQR
c) The median and IQR
d) The mean and standard deviation

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The histogram's shape informs the choice of summary statistics; for a skewed distribution, the median and IQR are suitable, whereas for a symmetric distribution, the mean and standard deviation are apt. The histogram must be analyzed to make the correct choice.

Step-by-step explanation:

The histogram displays the distribution of pizza slice prices over 150 weeks. When considering which summary statistics to report, it is important to understand the distribution's shape, as this influences the choice of statistics.

The interquartile range (IQR) is a measure of the middle spread of the data, representing the difference between the third quartile (Q3) and the first quartile (Q1). The median is the middle value, potentially more representative of a skewed distribution than the mean, while the standard deviation measures the spread of the data around the mean. The decision depends on the distribution's shape. If it is skewed, the median and IQR are preferred due to their robustness to outliers (Option c). If the distribution is symmetric, the mean and standard deviation provide a good summary (Option d).

Given the context is unclear about the distribution's shape, it would be important to examine the histogram in question to make an informed decision between reporting the median and IQR or the mean and standard deviation.

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