A group of 23 students participated in a math competition. Their scores are below:

Score (points) 20–29 30–39 40–49 50–59 60–69
Number of Students 4 7 5 4 3

Would a dot plot or a histogram best represent the data presented here? Why?
Histogram, because a large number of scores are reported as ranges***
Histogram, because a small number of scores are reported individually
Dot plot, because a large number of scores are reported as ranges
Dot plot, because a small number of scores are reported individually

A dot plot would best represent the data presented here.

To explain why, let's first understand the difference between a dot plot and a histogram.

A dot plot is a graphical representation of data where each data point is shown as a dot along a number line. It is used to display individual data points and their frequency or count. Each dot represents a single data point.

On the other hand, a histogram is a graphical representation of data that uses a series of bars to represent the frequencies, or counts, of data within specific intervals or ranges. It is used to show the distribution or spread of data.

In the given data, we have the number of students falling within specific score ranges such as 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69. These score ranges indicate that the scores are reported as ranges rather than individual scores.

Since a dot plot is ideal for representing individual data points, it wouldn't be the most appropriate choice in this case where scores are reported as ranges. Thus, a dot plot would not accurately represent the data here.

On the other hand, a histogram is designed to represent data that is reported in ranges or intervals. In our case, the histogram would use the score ranges (20-29, 30-39, etc.) as the intervals on the x-axis and display the frequencies (number of students) on the y-axis. Each bar in the histogram would represent the count of students falling within each score range. This would give us a visual representation of the distribution of scores among the students.

Therefore, in this scenario, a histogram would best represent the given data because a large number of scores are reported as ranges, making it more suitable for displaying the distribution of scores among the students.

A histogram would best represent the data presented here because a large number of scores are reported as ranges. A histogram allows us to visualize the distribution of the scores across different ranges and provides a clear representation of the frequency or number of students in each range. On the other hand, a dot plot would be more suitable if a small number of scores were reported individually, as it would show each individual score as a dot on the plot. However, in this case, the scores are reported as ranges, making a histogram the better choice.

I agree.