A surfer recorded the maximum wave height each day at the beach for 10 days. On one of the days, a storm produced unusually high waves.

Which set of statistics best describes a typical maximum wave height and how the heights vary?

mean: 3.2

MAD: 1.36 feet

median 2.5 feet

IQR: 1 feet

Answer choices:

Both sets of statistics give the same information

The mean and MAD

The median and IQR

The correct answer is the median and the IQR.

The reason for this is that when one of by numbers in the data set is an outlier (a lot bigger or smaller than the others like the waves during the day there was a storm), the mean will not be a true measure of the data. In this case, the mean will be higher than what the average should be because of that 1 number.

What happens to The MAD is similar to what happened to the mean.

The IQR and median will be measures of the central part of the data which is more like what the heights of the waves were (median) and how they varied (IQR).