Box Plot

A box plot, also known as a box-and-whisker plot, is a standardized way of displaying the distribution of data based on a five-number summary: minimum, first quartile (Q1), median, third quartile (Q3), and maximum.

• Comparing distributions between different groups or categories
• Identifying outliers and the spread of the data
• Showing the central tendency and variability of a dataset
• Visualizing the skewness of a distribution

• Box: Represents the interquartile range (IQR) from Q1 to Q3
• Line in the box: Represents the median
• Whiskers: Extend to the minimum and maximum values within 1.5 times the IQR
• Points: Individual points beyond the whiskers represent outliers

When interpreting a box plot, consider the following:

• The position of the median line indicates the central tendency of the data
• The length of the box shows the spread of the middle 50% of the data
• The position of the box and whiskers relative to each other can indicate skewness
• Outliers provide information about extreme values in the dataset
• Comparing multiple box plots side-by-side can reveal differences between groups