Question

each dot plot below represents a different set of data. order the data sets from largest standard deviation (top) to smallest standard deviation (bottom).

Explanation:

Step1: Assess spread of each plot

Standard deviation measures data spread from the mean. The more spread out the data, the larger the standard deviation.

• Second plot: Data clusters at the far ends (0 and 5), with only a few points in the middle. This has the widest spread.
• Third plot: Data is spread across 1, 2, 3, 5, with less extreme clustering than the second plot.
• First plot: Data clusters near the middle (1, 2, 3, 4), so it has the narrowest spread.

Step2: Order by spread (largest to smallest)

Rank the plots from most spread (largest standard deviation) to least spread (smallest standard deviation).

Answer:

1. The second dot plot (clustered at 0 and 5)
2. The third dot plot (spread across 1, 2, 3, 5)
3. The first dot plot (clustered near the middle)