Question

The students in Ms. Rodriguez's class reported the number of hours they spend exercising in a
typical week. They recorded their answers in a dot plot.
Ms. Rodriguez's Class
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
XXXXX XX
X
X
X
十
+
1
T~
2
27-
4
3
4
Hours Spent Exercising
Based on the spread of the data, would the mean or median be a better measure of center?

Answer 1

To determine whether the mean or the median would be a better measure of center for the data collected by Ms. Rodriguez's class, we would typically look at the spread of the data and its distribution.

1. **Mean**: The mean is calculated by adding all the values together and dividing by the number of values. It can be affected by extreme values (outliers) or a skewed distribution.

2. **Median**: The median is the middle value when the numbers are sorted in order. It is not affected by outliers or skewed distributions and is often a better measure of center for skewed data.

In this instance, we do not have the exact numerical values or a detailed summary of how the data is distributed from the dot plot. However, generally speaking, if the distribution of exercise hours is skewed (for example, if there are a few students who exercise a significantly higher or lower number of hours compared to the rest), the median would usually be a better measure of center. If the data is symmetric and does not have outliers, then the mean might be appropriate.

To make a conclusion:

- If the dot plot shows a symmetrical distribution without significant outliers, the mean could be suitable.
- If the dot plot exhibits a skewed distribution or contains outliers, the median would be a better measure of center.

If you can provide more details about the shape of the distribution or any specific values, I can give you a more definitive answer.