This key facts covers Key Facts About Box Plots within Box Plots for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Box Plots in Statistics for GCSE Mathematics with 18 exam-style questions and 20 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 2 of 11 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Key Facts About Box Plots
- Five-number summary: Minimum, Q1, Median, Q3, Maximum
- Box: Shows the interquartile range (middle 50% of data)
- Whiskers: Extend to the minimum and maximum values
- Median line: Vertical line inside the box showing the middle value
- Outliers: Points plotted separately if they're unusually extreme
- Compact display: Shows distribution in a small space
- Easy comparison: Multiple box plots can be easily compared side by side
Practice questions for Box Plots
On a box plot, what does the box (the rectangle) represent?
Two athletics clubs record the 100m sprint times (in seconds) for their members. The five-number summaries are shown below. Club A: Min = 11.2, Q1 = 12.4, Median = 13.1, Q3 = 14.2, Max = 16.5 Club B: Min = 12.0, Q1 = 13.5, Median = 14.8, Q3 = 16.1, Max = 17.3 Compare the distributions of sprint times for the two clubs. You must use the data to support your answer. (3 marks)