During a certain year, a student recorded the daily high temperature in a city for each day in the month of April. Which of the following displays MUST show the information needed for the student to be able to determine the mean of the data?

Rationale

A stem-and-leaf plot displays the information needed to determine the mean of the data.

A stem-and-leaf plot organizes numerical data while preserving the original data values, making it straightforward to calculate the mean. This format allows the student to see individual data points clearly, facilitating direct computation of the average.

A (A box-and-whisker plot) YOUR ANSWER

A box-and-whisker plot summarizes data by showing the median, quartiles, and potential outliers, but it does not provide the individual data values necessary for calculating the mean. While it offers insights into the data’s distribution and spread, it lacks the specificity required for mean calculation.

B (A stem-and-leaf plot) CORRECT

This plot presents data values in a way that retains the original numbers, allowing for easy identification of all temperatures recorded. The structure of the stem-and-leaf plot directly supports calculation of the mean by enabling the student to sum all values and divide by the total number of entries, making it the most suitable choice for determining the mean.

C (A circle graph) YOUR ANSWER

A circle graph, or pie chart, represents data as proportions of a whole, which is useful for displaying relative frequencies or percentages. However, it does not provide exact numerical data needed to compute the mean, making it ineffective for this purpose.

D (A histogram) YOUR ANSWER

A histogram displays the frequency distribution of data in intervals but does not show the exact data points. While it illustrates how data are spread across ranges, the lack of precise values makes it challenging to calculate the mean directly from a histogram.

Conclusion

To determine the mean of the daily high temperatures recorded in April, the student requires a representation that maintains the original data values. A stem-and-leaf plot is ideal for this purpose, as it allows for straightforward calculation of the mean, unlike the other graphical representations, which either summarize or categorize the data without providing necessary individual values.

During a certain year, a student recorded the daily high temperature in a city for each day in the month of April. Which of the following displays MUST show the information needed for the student to be able to determine the mean of the data?

A stem-and-leaf plot displays the information needed to determine the mean of the data.

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