AP Statistics 1.7 Summary Statistics Overview
Use measures of center, position, variability, and outliers to summarize quantitative data and choose statistics that fit its distribution.
- Syllabus
- Effective Fall 2025
- Course
- AP Statistics
Use measures of center, position, variability, and outliers to summarize quantitative data and choose statistics that fit its distribution.
The manager of an automotive company is interested in comparing the gas mileages for cars
manufactured in Country A and cars manufactured in Country B. The manager selected a
random sample of 100 cars manufactured in Country A and a random sample of 100 cars
manufactured in Country B. The gas mileages for each sample, in miles per gallon (mpg), are
summarized in the boxplots.

Boxplots of Gas Mileage for Each Country
The manager will create a new boxplot with the combined data from the sample of cars
manufactured in Country A and the sample of cars manufactured in Country B.
What is the range of the combined data set? Justify your answer.
Model Solution
The maximum is 40 mpg and the minimum is 14 mpg, so the range is 40−14=26 mpg. The boxplots show that all Country A mileages are below 40 mpg and all Country B mileages are above 14 mpg.
Scoring components
1. Correctly calculates 26 mpg as the range.
2. Justifies the range using 40 mpg as the maximum and 14 mpg as the minimum.
What is a possible value of the median of the combined data set? Justify your answer by
referencing the boxplots shown.
Model Solution
One possible median is 24 mpg. There are 200 observations. Country A's third quartile is 24 mpg, so at least 75 Country A observations are at or below 24; Country B's first quartile is 24 mpg, so at least 25 Country B observations are at or below 24. Similarly, at least 100 combined observations are at or above 24. Thus 24 mpg can be the combined median.
Scoring components
3. Correctly identifies 24 mpg as a possible median.
4. Justifies 24 mpg by correctly using information in the boxplots.
The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature; 0 K is absolute zero, the temperature at which all thermal motion ceases. Conversion from Fahrenheit to Kelvin is given by K=95×(F−32)+273. The average daily temperature in Monrovia, Liberia, is 78.35°F with a standard deviation of 6.3°F. If a scientist converts Monrovia daily temperatures to the Kelvin scale, what will be the new mean and standard deviation?
Mean, 231.75 K; standard deviation, 3.5 K
Mean, 298.75 K; standard deviation, 3.5 K
Mean, 298.75 K; standard deviation, 258.72 K
Mean, 298.75 K; standard deviation, 276.5 K
B