Here are the data sets on two athletes’ swim times for the 100-meter freestyle event in seconds.

Swimmer A: 77 80 83 81 80 80 79
Swimmer B: 75 82 81 86 86 79 71
Which of the following descriptions is true about the data?

(1 point)
Responses

Based on the mean, Swimmer A is faster.
Based on the mean, Swimmer A is faster.

Based on the mode, Swimmer B is faster.
Based on the mode, Swimmer B is faster.

The measures of center for Swimmer A are all the same.
The measures of center for Swimmer A are all the same.

Based on the median, Swimmer B is faster.

1 answer

To analyze the data of the two swimmers, we will calculate the mean, mode, and median for both Swimmer A and Swimmer B.

Swimmer A's times: 77, 80, 83, 81, 80, 80, 79

  1. Mean for Swimmer A: \[ \text{Mean} = \frac{77 + 80 + 83 + 81 + 80 + 80 + 79}{7} = \frac{560}{7} = 80 \]

  2. Mode for Swimmer A: The time that occurs most frequently is 80 (it appears three times).

  3. Median for Swimmer A: Arranging the times in order: 77, 79, 80, 80, 80, 81, 83 The median is the middle value: 80.


Swimmer B's times: 75, 82, 81, 86, 86, 79, 71

  1. Mean for Swimmer B: \[ \text{Mean} = \frac{75 + 82 + 81 + 86 + 86 + 79 + 71}{7} = \frac{570}{7} \approx 81.43 \]

  2. Mode for Swimmer B: The time that occurs most frequently is 86 (it appears twice).

  3. Median for Swimmer B: Arranging the times in order: 71, 75, 79, 81, 82, 86, 86 The median is the middle value: 81.


Now we can compare based on the calculations:

  • Mean: Swimmer A = 80, Swimmer B ≈ 81.43 → Swimmer A is faster based on mean.
  • Mode: Swimmer A (80) vs. Swimmer B (86) → Based on mode, Swimmer B is faster.
  • Median: Swimmer A (80) vs. Swimmer B (81) → Based on median, Swimmer B is faster.

Reviewing the options:

  1. Based on the mean, Swimmer A is faster. (True)
  2. Based on the mode, Swimmer B is faster. (True)
  3. The measures of center for Swimmer A are all the same. (False, they are all 80 and thus equal, but the other swimmer's measures differ.)
  4. Based on the median, Swimmer B is faster. (True)

Since all options are at least partially correct, let's summarize:

  • Swimmer A is faster based on the mean.
  • Swimmer B is faster based on the mode and median.

The true statement among the answers is: Based on the mean, Swimmer A is faster.