Question

    Which of the following is a key advantage of using box

    plots over histograms for visualizing data?
    A Box plots show the exact frequency of data points. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    B Box plots are more useful for identifying correlations between variables. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    C Box plots can quickly reveal the presence of outliers in the data. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    D Box plots are best used for visualizing time series data. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    E Box plots display the distribution of a variable in intervals. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

    Solution

    Box plots, also known as box-and-whisker plots, are particularly useful for identifying the presence of outliers. They provide a graphical summary of the minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum of a dataset. The "whiskers" of the box plot extend to a range where most of the data falls, while data points that fall outside this range are considered outliers and are typically marked separately. This makes box plots particularly valuable for quickly assessing whether a dataset contains extreme values that could affect further analysis. Unlike histograms, which display the frequency distribution of data, box plots summarize data spread and central tendency, with an emphasis on identifying outliers. Why Other Options Are Incorrect: • A: Histograms show the frequency of data points, not box plots. • B: Box plots do not show correlations between variables; scatter plots or pair plots are more suited for that. • D: Box plots are not ideal for visualizing time series data. Line plots or time series plots are better choices. • E: Histograms are used for displaying the distribution of a variable in intervals, not box plots.

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