A group of 23 students participated in a math competition. Their scores are below:

\begin{tabular}{|c|l|l|l|l|l|}
\hline Score (points) & [tex][tex]$20-29$[/tex][/tex] & [tex][tex]$30-39$[/tex][/tex] & [tex][tex]$40-49$[/tex][/tex] & [tex][tex]$50-59$[/tex][/tex] & [tex][tex]$60-69$[/tex][/tex] \\
\hline Number of Students & 4 & 7 & 5 & 4 & 3 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Would a line plot or a histogram best represent the data presented here? Why?

A. Histogram, because a large number of scores are reported as ranges
B. Histogram, because a small number of scores are reported individually
C. Line plot, because a large number of scores are reported as ranges
D. Line plot, because a small number of scores are reported individually



Answer :

To determine the best way to represent the given data, we need to analyze the structure and characteristics of the data:

Score ranges and the number of students for each range:
[tex]\[ \begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|} \hline \text{Score (points)} & 20-29 & 30-39 & 40-49 & 50-59 & 60-69 \\ \hline \text{Number of Students} & 4 & 7 & 5 & 4 & 3 \\ \hline \end{array} \][/tex]

Here are the key points to consider:

1. Data Type: The data presents scores in ranges rather than individual scores. Each range (e.g., 20-29, 30-39, etc.) encompasses a group of scores.

2. Frequency Distribution: The data shows how frequently scores fall within each of these specified ranges. This is ideal for visualizing the distribution of scores among different intervals.

Given that the scores are reported as ranges and we are interested in displaying the frequency distribution of these ranges, a histogram would be the most suitable option. A histogram allows us to effectively visualize the number of students falling within each score range.

Thus, the best representation for this data is:

Histogram, because a large number of scores are reported as ranges

Therefore, the answer is:

Histogram, because a large number of scores are reported as ranges.