Boxplot, 1 of 2

Description of activity and Excel instructions: Boxplot

Dataset: actors.xls (suggest continuing with the spreadsheet file begun in the Histogram activity.

Create numerical measures of a distribution

The five number summary, along with the distribution's mean, will be created vertically in a column to the right of the data.

Min

• Select a cell to be the top of the five number summary display.
• Type "Min".
• In the adjacent cell to the right, type "=min(A2:A33)".

Q1

• In the cell under Min, type "Q1".
• In the adjacent cell to the right, type "=quartile(A2:A33,1)". [Note that in some operating systems the formula uses a semi-colon instead of a colon, "=quartile(A2:A33;1)".]

Median

• In the next cell under Q1, type "Median".
• In the adjacent cell to the right, type "=median(A2:A33)".

Mean

• In the cell under Median, type "Mean".
• In the adjacent cell to the right, type "=average(A2:A33)".

Q3

• In the cell under Mean, type "Q3".
• In the adjacent cell to the right, type "=quartile(A2:A33,3)". [Note that in some operating systems the formula uses a semi-colon instead of a colon, "=quartile(A2:A33;3)".]

Max

• In the cell under Q3, type "Max".
• In the adjacent cell to the right, type "=max(A2:A33)".

Return to the OLI's first Boxplot page to complete the interpretive exercises.