Question

Boxplot Comparison Refer to the boxplots shown below that are drawn on the same scale. One boxplot represents weights of men, and the other boxplot represents weights of women. Which boxplot represents weights of women? Explain.

Short answer

The boxplot at the bottom represents women’s weights as values in this plot are lower than the plot at the top. Generally, women have lower weights than men.

Step-by-step solution

Given information

Two boxplots are displayed. One plot corresponds to men’s weights, and the other corresponds to women’s weights.

Five Number Summary	Boxplot 1	Boxplot 2
Minimum value	50.3	39
First quartile	73	62.1
Second quartile (Median)	84.4	74
Third quartile	95.8	90.2
Maximum value	144.9	150.4

Interpreting boxplot

Aboxplotis a plot that depicts the five main numerical attributes of a dataset. The attributes are:

Minimum value: Left/Top Whisker of the plot

Maximum value: Right/ Bottom Whisker of the plot

First quartile: Left boundary of the box

Second quartile/Median: Middle partition of the box

Third quartile: Right boundary of the box

The boxplots of two or more datasets can be compared by analyzing these five values summarized using the datasets.

Comparison of the given boxplots

It can be observed that the boxplot at the top has values greater than those displayed in the bottom boxplot. Moreover, it is a general trend thatwomen’s weights are lower than men’s weights.

Therefore, it can be concluded that thebottom boxplot (boxplot 2) depicts the weights of women.