The 18 faculty members in a college math department range in age from 32 to 68. A stemplot follows: The first and third quartiles of the ages of the faculty members are:
A)38 and 57 years.
B)39 and 57 years.
C)39 and 58 years.
D)40 and 58 years.

Question

The 18 faculty members in a college math department range in age from 32 to 68. A stemplot follows:  The first and third quartiles of the ages of the faculty members are:
A)38 and 57 years. 
B)39 and 57 years. 
C)39 and 58 years. 
D)40 and 58 years.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Looking at the stemplot, we can see that the median of the data, which represents the second quartile, is between 46 and 47. To find the first and third quartiles, we can divide the data into two halves, and then find the median of each half. The median of the lower half is between 38 and 39, while the median of the upper half is between 57 and 58. Thus, the first quartile is around 39 and the third quartile is around 58. Therefore, the correct choice is C, 39 and 58 years.

The 18 Faculty Members in a College Math Department Range