Welcome to our Lower Quartile and Upper Quartile page.
This page will help you understand all about what the quartiles are and how they work
using clear explanations and lots of worked examples.
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The quartiles split the set of data at three points: the lower quartile (Q1), the median (Q2) and the upper quartile (Q3).
These quartiles together with the minimum and maximum values split the data set into 4 equal groups:
The lower and upper quartiles are the first and third quarters of the data points.
In effect, they are the middle values of the first half and second half of the data.
Lower Quartile (1st Quartile) also called Q1
You can find the lower quartile (1st quartile) by putting the set of data in order, then finding the median value.
Once you have found the median value, you need to find the middle value between the minimum and the median value.
About ¼ (25%) of the data values are lower than the 1st quartile and ¾ (75%) of the data values are higher than the 1st quartile.
Upper Quartile (3rd Quartile) also called Q3
You can find the upper quartile (3rd quartile) by putting the set of data in order, then finding the median value.
Once you have found the median value, you need to find the middle value between the median value and the maximum.
About ¾ (75%) of the data values are lower than the 3rd quartile and ¼ (25%) of the data values are higher than the 3rd quartile.
Note that we have excluded the median value when finding the lower and upper quartiles.
There are two methods for finding the lower and upper quartile, one which excludes the median (which we are using) and one which includes the median.
The median is the midpoint (or middle value) of a set of numbers.
It is found by ordering the set of numbers and then finding the middle value in the set.
The median can also be thought of as the 2nd quartile or Q2.
About ½ (50%) of the data values are lower than the median and ½ (50%) of the data values are higher than the median.
The interquartile range is the difference between the Upper Quartile (Q3) and Lower Quartile (Q1).
So Interquartile range = Q3 - Q1.
In the example above, the interquartile range is 58 - 31 = 27.
Step 1) Put the data in order.
Step 2) Identify the median (Q2). There are 11 data points, so the median is the 6th point which is -1°C.
Step 3) There are now 5 data points on each side of the median point.
Step 4) To find the interquartile range, we subtract the lower quartile from the upper quartile.
Step 1) Put the data in order.
Step 2) Identify the median (Q2). There are 13 data points, so the median is the 7th point which is 30 marks.
Step 3) There are now 6 data points on each side of the median point.
Step 4) To find the interquartile range, we subtract the lower quartile from the upper quartile.
Step 1) Put the data in order.
Step 2) Identify the median (Q2). There are 10 data points, so the median is halfway between the 5th and 6th point which is (42 + 47) ÷ 2 = 44 ½.
Step 3) There are now 5 data points on each side of the median point.
Step 4) To find the interquartile range, we subtract the lower quartile from the upper quartile.
Take a look at some more of our worksheets similar to these.
Find links to our Median worksheets below.
Using this webapge will help you to:
The sheets in this section will help you to find the mean of a range of numbers, including negative numbers and decimals.
There are a range of sheets involving finding the mean, and also finding a missing data point when the mean is given.
The sheets in this section will help you to find the mode and range of a set of numbers, including negative numbers and decimals.
There are easier sheets involving fewer data points, and harder ones with more data points.
The sheets in this section will help you to find the mean, median, mode and range of a set of numbers, including negative numbers and decimals.
There are easier sheets involving fewer data points, and harder ones with more data points.
We also have a selection of box plot worksheets.
The worksheets will help you to practice creating and interpreting box plots.
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