Vincent Guzman

TA: Jason Wong

Biology 171L Section 8
September 20,2015
The data may be presented as either a histogram or a bar chart. The histogram allows a
comparison of overall heights while the bar chart allows for a comparison between genders. I
believe that depending upon your desired information, either chart is beneficial.
Average(male)
172.227
Average(female)
161.58
Average(total)
166.6757143
Mode(male)
172.7
Mode(female)
155
Mode(total)
160
Median(male)
172.36
Median(female)
160.02
Median(total)
165.1
Range(male)
160-200.66
Range(female)
150-177.8
Range(total)
150-200.66
Standard dev(male) 11.90561404
Standard dev(female) 8.322842609
Standard dev(total) 11.30643647
The mean and mode are different in these cases due to outliers. While the mean presents an
average of all of the data points, it fails to account for outlying data on the extreme ends of the
spectrum. Thus, those extreme data points may pollute the actual average. In contrast, the
mode gets rid of a number of extreme data points due to it being a directly middle value as
opposed to an average value. In things with relatively similar data points in a population, such
as height, the mode is a more accurate representation of average height rather than the mean
due to reasons previously stated.
Class data versus section data looks rather similar in trends. There are more extremes with the
entire class but there are also more averages to even out the extremes. The differences in
median seem to be the only significant differences and arise from the fact that there are a larger
number of samples that may be higher up in the height readings. That is to say, while there may
be a larger number of taller people, there are a few very short people who bring the mean and
mode down to numbers similar to the sectional data.
Average:
Mode:
Median:
Standard Deviation:
Range:

168.4
160
176.67
11.35
105-200.66

Figure 1. Section 8s of Biology 171L UH Manoa height graph (in blue) versus the entire classs
of Biology 171L UH Manoa graph (in red.) Data is arranged from shortest to tallest. Height is in
recorded in centimeters.
210

Height (cm)

157.5

105

52.5

Figure 2. A graph of section 8s Biology 171L UH Manoa height data. Data is arranged from
shortest to tallest with height being recorded in centimeters.

210

Height (cm)

157.5

105

52.5

Figure 3. A graph of the entire population of Biology 171L in UH Manoa. Data is organized from
shortest to tallest. Height is recorded in centimeters.
Male

Female

210

Height (cm)

157.5

105

52.5

Figure 4. A graph of Biology 171L UH Manoa section 8 height data comparing genders. Green is
female and blue is male. Data is comparing the shortest female with the shortest male, then the
next shortest female with the next shortest boy, and so on. Height is recorded in centimeters.