Question the-da
- The data for the dot plot are as follows:
- 1: 4 dots
- 2: 5 dots
- 3: 2 dots
- 4: 1 dot
- 5: 1 dot
The dot plot represents a data set of the number of bursts for eruptions of a steam vent. If an additional eruption with bursts is added to this data set to create a new data set of eruptions, which of the following measures will be greater for the new data set than for the original data set?
- The median number of bursts
- The mean number of bursts
we and II
we only
Iwe only
Neither we nor II
The data for the dot plot are as follows: 1: 4 dots 2: 5 dots 3:
Hard-difficulty · SAT Math · One-Variable Data & Statistics — Mean, median, mode, range. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the dot plot represents a data set of the number of bursts for eruptions of a steam vent. The median of a data set with an odd number of elements is the middle element when the elements are in numerical order. For elements in numerical order, this is the element. For this data set, the first elements have a value of , and the next elements have a value of . Thus, the element in the ordered data set is and the median number of bursts for the original data set is . If an additional eruption with bursts is added to this data set to create a new data set of eruptions, the median of the new data set will be between the and elements in the ordered set, which will also be . Therefore, the median number of bursts for the new data set will be the same as the median number of bursts for the original data set. The mean number of bursts for the original data set is found by adding the values of all elements and dividing that sum by the number of elements, . Since the data is shown in a dot plot, the sum of the values of the elements can be found by multiplying each element's value by its frequency: , or . Therefore, the mean number of bursts for the original data set is . If an additional eruption with bursts is added to this data set to create a new data set of bursts, the mean number of bursts for the new data set is , or . Since , the mean number of bursts for the new data set is greater than the mean number of bursts for the original data set. Therefore, of the median number of bursts and the mean number of bursts, only the mean number of bursts is greater for the new data set than for the original data set.
Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.
Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.
Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.
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