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For the 100-meter dash, the third quartile for times for finishing the race was 11.5 seconds. Interpret the third quartile in the context of the situation.

Twenty-five percent of runners finished the race in 11.5 seconds or more. Seventy-five percent of runners finished the race in 11.5 seconds or less. A lower percentile is good because finishing a race more quickly is desirable.

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On a 20 question math test, the 70 th percentile for number of correct answers was 16. Interpret the 70 th percentile in the context of this situation.

  • Seventy percent of students answered 16 or fewer questions correctly.
  • Thirty percent of students answered 16 or more questions correctly.
  • A higher percentile could be considered good, as answering more questions correctly is desirable.
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On a 60 point written assignment, the 80 th percentile for the number of points earned was 49. Interpret the 80 th percentile in the context of this situation.

Eighty percent of students earned 49 points or fewer. Twenty percent of students earned 49 or more points. A higher percentile is good because getting more points on an assignment is desirable.

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At a community college, it was found that the 30 th percentile of credit units that students are enrolled for is seven units. Interpret the 30 th percentile in the context of this situation.

  • Thirty percent of students are enrolled in seven or fewer credit units.
  • Seventy percent of students are enrolled in seven or more credit units.
  • In this example, there is no "good" or "bad" value judgment associated with a higher or lower percentile. Students attend community college for varied reasons and needs, and their course load varies according to their needs.
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During a season, the 40 th percentile for points scored per player in a game is eight. Interpret the 40 th percentile in the context of this situation.

Forty percent of players scored eight points or fewer. Sixty percent of players scored eight points or more. A higher percentile is good because getting more points in a basketball game is desirable.

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Sharpe Middle School is applying for a grant that will be used to add fitness equipment to the gym. The principal surveyed 15 anonymous students to determine how many minutes a day the students spend exercising. The results from the 15 anonymous students are shown.

0 minutes; 40 minutes; 60 minutes; 30 minutes; 60 minutes

10 minutes; 45 minutes; 30 minutes; 300 minutes; 90 minutes;

30 minutes; 120 minutes; 60 minutes; 0 minutes; 20 minutes

Determine the following five values.

  • Min = 0
  • Q 1 = 20
  • Med = 40
  • Q 3 = 60
  • Max = 300

If you were the principal, would you be justified in purchasing new fitness equipment? Since 75% of the students exercise for 60 minutes or less daily, and since the IQR is 40 minutes (60 – 20 = 40), we know that half of the students surveyed exercise between 20 minutes and 60 minutes daily. This seems a reasonable amount of time spent exercising, so the principal would be justified in purchasing the new equipment.

However, the principal needs to be careful. The value 300 appears to be a potential outlier.

Q 3 + 1.5( IQR ) = 60 + (1.5)(40) = 120.

The value 300 is greater than 120 so it is a potential outlier. If we delete it and calculate the five values, we get the following values:

  • Min = 0
  • Q 1 = 20
  • Q 3 = 60
  • Max = 120

We still have 75% of the students exercising for 60 minutes or less daily and half of the students exercising between 20 and 60 minutes a day. However, 15 students is a small sample and the principal should survey more students to be sure of his survey results.

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Source:  OpenStax, Introductory statistics. OpenStax CNX. May 06, 2016 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11562/1.18
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