To calculate the percentage difference in pencil preference between boys and girls in the 8th-grade class, we first need to find the percentage of boys and girls who prefer pencils.
From the table:
- Boys who prefer pencils: 14
- Total boys: 50
- Girls who prefer pencils: 12
- Total girls: 55
Now we can calculate the percentages:
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For boys: \[ \text{Percentage of boys preferring pencils} = \left( \frac{14}{50} \right) \times 100 = 28% \]
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For girls: \[ \text{Percentage of girls preferring pencils} = \left( \frac{12}{55} \right) \times 100 \approx 21.82% \]
Next, we find the percentage difference between boys and girls in pencil preference: \[ \text{Percentage Difference} = \text{Percentage of boys} - \text{Percentage of girls} = 28% - 21.82% = 6.18% \]
Thus, the percentage difference in pencil preference between boys and girls is approximately 6.18%.