CAIE A-Level Mathematics 5.1.3 Averages and Measures of Spread

CAIE A-Level Mathematics 5.1.3 Averages and Measures of Spread
Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics 9709 syllabus for exams in 2028, 2029 and 20302028–2030

Practise calculating and interpreting the mean, median, quartiles, range and interquartile range, then comparing distributions and judging the effect of extreme values.

How this is tested

  • calculate median and quartiles from ordered data and obtain interquartile range as Q3 minus Q1
  • compare two data sets using both a measure of central tendency and a measure of spread
  • explain how an extreme value changes the mean and range more strongly than robust measures

Question 6

[Maximum number: 3]

Last Saturday, a cycling competition for teams of 11 cyclists took place. For each cyclist, the time taken to complete the course was recorded to the nearest minute. The times taken by the cyclists from two teams, the Linnets and the Puffins, are shown in the following table.

Table for Question 6 — CAIE A-Level Mathematics

Question 6(b)

(a)

Find the interquartile range of the times taken by the Linnets.

[ 2 ]

Question 6(d)

(b)

Make one comparison between the times taken by the Linnets and the times taken by the Puffins.

[ 1 ]