Question

The histograms display the frequency of temperatures in two different locations in a 30-day period.

A graph with the x-axis labeled Temperature in Degrees, with intervals 60 to 69, 70 to 79, 80 to 89, 90 to 99, 100 to 109, 110 to 119. The y-axis is labeled Frequency and begins at 0 with tick marks every one unit up to 14. A shaded bar stops at 10 above 60 to 69, at 9 above 70 to 79, at 5 above 80 to 89, at 4 above 90 to 99, and at 2 above 100 to 109. There is no shaded bar above 110 to 119. The graph is titled Temps in Sunny Town.

A graph with the x-axis labeled Temperature in Degrees, with intervals 60 to 69, 70 to 79, 80 to 89, 90 to 99, 100 to 109, 110 to 119. The y-axis is labeled Frequency and begins at 0 with tick marks every one unit up to 16. A shaded bar stops at 2 above 60 to 69, at 4 above 70 to 79, at 12 above 80 to 89, at 6 above 90 to 99, at 4 above 100 to 109, and at 2 above 110 to 119. The graph is titled Temps in Desert Landing.

When comparing the data, which measure of center should be used to determine which location typically has the cooler temperature?

Median, because Desert Landing is symmetric
Mean, because Sunny Town is skewed
Mean, because Desert Landing is symmetric
Median, because Sunny Town is skewed

Answer 1

When comparing the data, the measure of center that should be used to determine which location typically has the cooler temperature is the median, because the histogram for Sunny Town is skewed.

A skewed histogram indicates that the distribution is not symmetric, and in this case, the histogram for Sunny Town is skewed to the right. This means that there are some unusually high temperatures that are pulling the mean towards the right, making it a less reliable measure of center. The median, on the other hand, is not affected as much by extreme values and gives a better representation of the typical temperature in Sunny Town.

In contrast, the histogram for Desert Landing is symmetric, which means that the mean and median are equal and either measure of center could be used to determine the typical temperature. However, the question specifically asks about the location with the cooler temperature, so we need to look at the histogram for Sunny Town, which is skewed and requires the use of the median.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Median, because Sunny Town is skewed.