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Reading the BoxPlot

Math Tutorials Home > Boxplots in Excel

Start of Module

Installing the Macro

Reading a boxplot requires some practice.

A boxplot (also called a box and whisker diagram) shows both the central tendency and the variability (dispersion) of a data set.

annotated boxplot

The box represents the middle 50% of the data range (from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile).

The line in the middle of the box shows the median. The cross shows the mean.

The whiskers are drawn to the data points closest to values called the inner fences. The whisker ends are at the data value closest to the inner fences but not outside them. These are called the adjacent values.

The upper and lower adjacent values are found by taking the h-spread and multiplying it by 1.5 (The h-spread is the distance between the 25th and 75th percentiles).

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