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1.6 Describing the Distribution of a Quantitative Variable

Part of Exploring One-Variable Data in AP® Statistics. Read the opening section, then create a free account for the full interactive lesson, practice, and progress tracking.

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Shape, Center, Spread, and Unusual Features

A complete description of a quantitative distribution addresses four components:

  1. Shape — Is it symmetric? Skewed right or left? Bimodal? Uniform?
  2. Center — the "middle" of the data
  3. Spread — how much the data varies
  4. Unusual features — outliers, gaps, clusters

Template for description: "The distribution of [variable] is [shape]. The center is approximately [value]. The spread ranges from [min] to [max] (range = [value]). There [are/are no] apparent outliers."

Always include context — mention what the variable actually measures.

In this unit

10 lessons

  1. 1.1Introducing Statistics: What Can We Learn from Data?Preview lesson
  2. 1.2The Language of Variation: VariablesPreview lesson
  3. 1.3Representing a Categorical Variable with TablesPreview lesson
  4. 1.4Representing a Categorical Variable with GraphsPreview lesson
  5. 1.5Representing a Quantitative Variable with GraphsPreview lesson
  6. 1.6Describing the Distribution of a Quantitative VariableThis lesson
  7. 1.7Summary Statistics for a Quantitative VariablePreview lesson
  8. 1.8Graphical Representations of Summary StatisticsPreview lesson
  9. 1.9Comparing Distributions of a Quantitative VariablePreview lesson
  10. 1.10The Normal DistributionPreview lesson

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