Question 11
The dot plots of heights of another section of Grade 5 students of the same school are shown below. Can you share your observations? What can we infer from the dot plots and the central tendency measures?

We will carefully look at the dot plots and numbers. We will compare heights of boys and girls.
Step 1 — Understanding the spread of heights
Let us look at the range of heights for each group. The range tells us how spread out the data is.
For girls, the shortest height shown is 126. The tallest height shown is 158. So, girls' heights are between 126 and 158.
For boys, the shortest height shown is 130. The tallest height shown is 148. So, boys' heights are between 130 and 148.
We can see that girls' heights cover a wider range. They are more spread out.

Step 2 — Identifying the shortest and tallest students
Let us find the shortest and tallest students. We check all three plots.
The shortest height in the whole class is 126. This student is a girl. The tallest height in the whole class is 158. This student is also a girl.
So, both the shortest and tallest students are girls.
Step 3 — Comparing average heights
Let us compare the average heights using the mean and median.
The mean height for girls is 140.14. The mean height for boys is 142.05. The mean height for the whole class is 141.21.
The median height for girls is 140. The median height for boys is 143. The median height for the whole class is 142.5.
We see that the boys' average height is greater than the girls' average height. Boys' mean 142.05 is greater than girls' mean 140.14. Boys' median 143 is greater than girls' median 140. Also, the girls' average height is less than the whole class average.
This means boys are generally taller than girls in this class.
Step 4 — Analyzing mean and median relationship
Let us look at how mean and median compare for each group. This tells us about the shape of the data.
For boys, the mean is 142.05. The median is 143. Here, the mean is less than the median (). This suggests some lower values might be pulling the mean down.
For girls, the mean is 140.14. The median is 140. Here, the mean is greater than the median (). This suggests some higher values might be pulling the mean up.
Step 5 — Comparing with other data
We are asked to compare this data with a previous example. Based on this comparison, we find that the boys and girls of this section are shorter in height.
Answer
(i) The girls' heights are more spread out. They range between 126 and 158. (ii) The boys' heights lie between 130 and 148. (iii) Both the tallest and shortest students in the class are girls. (iv) The girls' average height is less than the whole class average. It is also less than the boys' average height. (v) We can say that boys are generally taller than girls in this class. (vi) For boys' heights, the mean () is less than the median (). This shows a small influence of lower values. (vii) For girls' heights, the mean () is greater than the median (). This shows a small influence of higher values. (viii) On comparing this data with a previous example, we find that the boys and girls of this section are shorter in height.
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