The box plots show the summer temperatures, in degrees Fahrenheit, in two cities.

Question

Summer Temperatures in City A
2 box plots. The number line goes from 50 to 100. For summer temperatures in City A, the whiskers range from 55 to 90, and the box ranges from 60 to 85. A line divides the box at 80. For summer temperatures in City B, the whiskers range from 50 to 90, and the box ranges from 60 to 80. A line divides the box at 70.
Summer Temperatures in City B

Linda is trying to decide which city to visit. She likes the summer temperature to be around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Which city she should visit?
She should visit city A because the temperatures are consistently closer to a median of 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
She should visit city B because the temperatures are consistently closer to a median of 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
It doesn’t matter which city she visits because both medians are 5 degrees Fahrenheit from 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
It doesn’t matter which city she visits because it will likely reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit in both cities.

Answer 1

To determine which city would be better for Linda to visit based on her preference for summer temperatures around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, let's analyze the box plots provided for both cities:

• City A:

  • Whiskers: 55 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Box (Interquartile Range): 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Median: 80 degrees Fahrenheit

• City B:

  • Whiskers: 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Box (Interquartile Range): 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Median: 70 degrees Fahrenheit

Now, considering Linda's preference:

• The median temperature for City A is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5 degrees above her preferred temperature of 75 degrees.
• The median temperature for City B is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5 degrees below her preferred temperature of 75 degrees.

Comparing the options given:

1. "She should visit city A because the temperatures are consistently closer to a median of 80 degrees Fahrenheit." (This is true, but not directly addressing her preference for 75 degrees.)
2. "She should visit city B because the temperatures are consistently closer to a median of 70 degrees Fahrenheit." (This is also somewhat true, but again, 70 is still 5 degrees away from 75.)
3. "It doesn’t matter which city she visits because both medians are 5 degrees Fahrenheit from 75 degrees Fahrenheit." (This option correctly states that both cities are equidistant from her preference.)
4. "It doesn’t matter which city she visits because it will likely reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit in both cities." (This is less relevant to her specific preference for around 75 degrees.)

The best conclusion based on the information given is "It doesn’t matter which city she visits because both medians are 5 degrees Fahrenheit from 75 degrees Fahrenheit." This indicates that neither city is significantly closer to her desired temperature, so her choice would not be greatly affected by the median temperatures alone.