Descriptive Statistics

A small set of data points sits on a number line. Drag them around, add or remove points, and turn on different descriptive statistics — mean, median, mode, minimum and maximum, standard deviation, interquartile range, and a boxplot — to see how each one responds as the data changes.

Drag a dot to move it, or click it to remove it. You can also tab to a dot and use the arrow keys to move it or Delete to remove it (minimum 3 points). Use the buttons above the chart to turn each statistic on or off.

What this teaches: Drag points on a number line to see how the mean, median, mode, minimum, maximum, standard deviation and interquartile range respond, and how a boxplot summarizes the spread. It teaches which measure of centre and spread to trust when data is skewed or contains extreme values.

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