Box Plot Examples in Statistics
Start with the recap, study the fully worked examples, then use the practice problems to check your understanding of Box Plot.
This page combines explanation, solved examples, and follow-up practice so you can move from recognition to confident problem-solving in Statistics.
Concept Recap
A visual display showing the five-number summary: minimum, Q1, median, Q3, and maximum, often with outliers marked separately.
A box plot is like an X-ray of your data's skeleton. The box shows where the middle 50% of data lives. The line inside is the median. The whiskers stretch to the extremes. You instantly see the center, spread, and any unusual values.
Read the full concept explanation →How to Use These Examples
- Read the first worked example with the solution open so the structure is clear.
- Try the practice problems before revealing each solution.
- Use the related concepts and background knowledge badges if you feel stuck.
What to Focus On
Core idea: A box plot shows five key summary statistics at once: minimum, Q1, median, Q3, and maximum. The box covers the middle 50% of the data (the IQR).
Common stuck point: Students misread the whisker length as the sample count. A long whisker just means the data is spread out in that region, not that there are more data points.
Worked Examples
Example 1
mediumSolution
- 1 Step 1: Minimum = 2, Maximum = 15, Median (Q2) = 8 (5th of 9 values).
- 2 Step 2: Lower half: {2, 4, 5, 7}. Q1 = \frac{4+5}{2} = 4.5.
- 3 Step 3: Upper half: {9, 11, 13, 15}. Q3 = \frac{11+13}{2} = 12. Draw a box from Q1 (4.5) to Q3 (12), line at median (8), whiskers to min (2) and max (15).
Answer
Example 2
mediumPractice Problems
Try these problems on your own first, then open the solution to compare your method.
Example 1
mediumExample 2
mediumRelated Concepts
Background Knowledge
These ideas may be useful before you work through the harder examples.