In descriptive statistics, a box plot or boxplot (also known as a box-and-whisker diagram or plot) is a convenient way of graphically depicting groups of numerical data through their five-number summaries: the smallest observation (sample minimum), lower quartile (Q1), median (Q2), upper quartile (Q3), and largest observation (sample maximum). A boxplot may also indicate which observations, if any, might be considered outliers.
Boxplots display differences between populations without making any assumptions of the underlying statistical distribution: they are non-parametric. The spacings between the different parts of the box help indicate the degree of dispersion (spread) and skewness in the data, and identify outliers. Boxplots can be drawn either horizontally or vertically.
Read more about Box Plot: Alternative Forms, Variations, Visualization
Famous quotes containing the words box and/or plot:
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever painted. Not because you’re beautiful but because I’m in love with you. Hopelessly in love with you.”
—Muriel Box (b. 1905)
“Trade and the streets ensnare us,
Our bodies are weak and worn;
We plot and corrupt each other,
And we despoil the unborn.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)