Gemma is creating a histogram based on the table below.

| Salary Range | Number of People |
|------------------|------------------|
| [tex]$0-$[/tex]19,999 | 40 |
| [tex]$20,000-$[/tex]39,999 | 30 |
| [tex]$40,000-$[/tex]59,999 | 35 |

Which scale can she use for the vertical axis such that the difference in the heights of the bars is maximized?

A. [tex]$0-50$[/tex]
B. [tex]$0-40$[/tex]
C. [tex]$10-50$[/tex]
D. [tex]$25-40$[/tex]



Answer :

To determine the most appropriate scale for the vertical axis that maximizes the difference in the heights of the histogram bars, let's analyze the given information:

1. Number of People in Each Salary Range:
- [tex]$0-\$[/tex]19,999[tex]$: 40 people - $[/tex]20,000-\[tex]$39,999$[/tex]: 30 people
- [tex]$40,000-\$[/tex]59,999[tex]$: 35 people 2. Differences in Counts Between Consecutive Bars: - Difference between $[/tex]0-\[tex]$19,999$[/tex] and [tex]$20,000-\$[/tex]39,999[tex]$: \[ 40 - 30 = 10 \] - Difference between $[/tex]20,000-\[tex]$39,999$[/tex] and [tex]$40,000-\$[/tex]59,999[tex]$: \[ 30 - 35 = 5 \] - Difference between $[/tex]0-\[tex]$19,999$[/tex] and [tex]$40,000-\$[/tex]59,999[tex]$: \[ 40 - 35 = 5 \] 3. Maximum Count: - The maximum count across all salary ranges is 40 people. This means that our vertical axis must accommodate at least up to 40. 4. Choose Vertical Scale to Maximize Differences: The largest difference is between $[/tex]0-\[tex]$19,999$[/tex] and [tex]$20,000-\$[/tex]39,999$, which is 10 people.

Now, considering the given options:
- [tex]\(0-50\)[/tex]: This scale covers all values up to the maximum count (40 people) and shows the differences effectively.
- [tex]\(0-40\)[/tex]: This scale exactly covers the maximum count but doesn't offer additional space for clarity.
- [tex]\(10-50\)[/tex]: This scale is not suitable because it does not start from 0, which may misrepresent the actual bar heights.
- [tex]\(25-40\)[/tex]: This scale is also not suitable because it does not start from 0 and does not represent the smaller counts properly.

Therefore, the most appropriate scale for the vertical axis that maximizes the difference in the heights of the bars is [tex]\(0-50\)[/tex].

[tex]\[ \boxed{0-50} \][/tex]