Final answer:
To match the box plots to the data sets, set up a number line, calculate the five-number summary, draw the box plot, and compare the spread of the middle 50 percent. The third box plot has the widest spread, indicating higher variability in the middle range of values.
Step-by-step explanation:
- Set up a number line with the minimum and maximum values of the data set.
- Calculate the five-number summary: minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum.
- Using the five-number summary, draw a box from the first quartile to the third quartile with a line at the median.
- Draw whiskers from the box to the minimum and maximum values.
- Match each box plot to the data set it represents based on the spread and position of the quartiles.
The data set {20, 18, 8, 18, 10, 8, 4} corresponds to the second box plot, the data set {12, 14, 16, 20, 4, 8, 10} corresponds to the first box plot, and the data set {12, 16, 4, 20, 8, 6, 8} corresponds to the third box plot.
The box plot with the widest spread for the middle 50 percent of the data is the third box plot. This means that the third data set has more variability in the middle range of values compared to the other data sets.