A cross-country runner wants to know how consistent her race times have been this season. The most useful measure of her race times would be the
A) range.
B) standard deviation.
C) mode.
D) difference between the median and the mode.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The standard deviation is the best measure of consistency because it takes into account how far each race time deviates from the average time. A smaller standard deviation indicates more consistent race times, while a larger standard deviation indicates more variability in race times. The range (A) only considers the difference between the fastest and slowest race times and does not take into account the other race times. The mode (C) is not useful for measuring consistency because it only indicates the most common race time, which may not be representative of the runner's overall performance. The difference between the median and mode (D) is only useful for measuring the symmetry of a data set and has no direct relation to consistency.

A Cross-Country Runner Wants to Know How Consistent Her Race