The dot plot below shows the ages of the 20 people currently in Mr. Wood’s classroom.
Which measure of center would be best to describe this distribution?
The measure of center that would be best to describe this distribution would be the median.
To determine the best measure of center to describe the distribution of ages shown in the dot plot, we need to consider the shape of the distribution.
In this case, a dot plot is provided, which displays individual data points. However, without the actual plot it is not possible to determine the shape of the distribution.
Assuming that the distribution is roughly symmetric, the best measure of center to describe it would be the mean or average age. This is because the mean takes into account every data point and provides a balance point for the distribution.
However, if the distribution is skewed or has outliers, the median might be a more appropriate measure of center. The median is the middle value when the data is arranged in ascending or descending order and is not affected by extreme values like the mean.
Therefore, it is necessary to examine the dot plot or obtain additional information about the distribution in order to determine the best measure of center for this specific case.