Question

I have a set of data, and the lower fence is 16.25, and the upper 31.05. However, the data values start at 20.6, and end at 31.4. I know that 20.6 and 31.05 will be the end of the whiskers, and 31.4 an outlier, but what do I do with the 16.25?

Answer 1

To answer this question, we need to know the concept of box and whisker plots in the statistics topic in mathematics. We need to explain the use of the point 16.25 here which represents the lower fence. We explain its use in the detection of outliers easily.

Complete step by step solution:
In the given set of data, it is given that the lower fence is 16.25. This lower fence represents the lower threshold value which is not compulsory in statistics but is essential in order to spot the outliers easily. We know that the outliers are often encountered during the process of obtaining data. These outliers are nothing but the points that lie outside the desired range of the data set. The presence of these outliers can be easily detected with the help of the lower and upper fence values.
The presence of outliers can alter the process of acquiring the data for the data set because the more frequently the outliers are occurring, the more data points are left out.
In general, there are two types of lower fence and even of upper fence. They are: lower inner fence and lower outer fence. Similarly, upper inner fence and upper outer fence. The points, in general, outside the inner fences are called mild outliers and the ones beyond the outer fences are extreme outliers. The data values starting at 20.6 and ending at 31.4 represent the edges of data points set.
Hence, the point 16.25 is the lower fence, which is the boundary point, important in order to easily

Note: It is essential to know the concept of box and whisker plots in statistics to solve this question easily. We can further use what are known as lower inner fence and lower outer fence for the lower fence specified but this depends upon the question or the application for which it is required.