Analyzing Bread Price Data: Baltimore, Washington Statistical Report

This assignment presents a statistical analysis comparing bread prices in Baltimore and Washington. The analysis includes stem-and-leaf plots, descriptive statistics (mean, median, standard deviation), and measures of skewness. The student calculates and interprets key statistical values for both cities, including the median and interquartile range, to understand the central tendency and variability of bread prices. The report concludes that the median is the best measure of central tendency for skewed distributions, and the interquartile range is the best measure of variation for skewed distributions, providing a comparative analysis of bread price distributions in the two cities, drawing conclusions based on the statistical findings. The report cites references to support the statistical methods used.

The stem and leaf plot for the bread prices in Baltimore is given below.
Baltimore Stem-and-Leaf Plot
Frequency Stem & Leaf
.00 0 .
11.00 0 . 56667777789
6.00 1 . 012333
3.00 1 . 555
Stem width: 10.00
Each leaf: 1 case(s)
The stem and leaf plot for the bread prices in Washington is given below.
Washington Stem-and-Leaf Plot
Frequency Stem & Leaf
1.00 0 . 4
4.00 0 . 5669
9.00 1 . 000001123
3.00 1 . 789
3.00 2 . 000
Stem width: 10.00
Each leaf: 1 case(s)

1) The descriptive statistics for the two data sets is given below.
Descriptives
Statistic Std. Error
Baltimore Mean 9.6000 .77256
95% Confidence
Interval for Mean
Lower Bound 7.9830
Upper Bound 11.2170
5% Trimmed Mean 9.5556
Median 8.5000
Variance 11.937
Std. Deviation 3.45497
Minimum 5.00
Maximum 15.00
Range 10.00
Interquartile Range 6.00
Skewness .393 .512
Kurtosis -1.422 .992
Washington Mean 12.0500 1.16861
95% Confidence
Interval for Mean
Lower Bound 9.6041
Upper Bound 14.4959

5% Trimmed Mean 12.0556
Median 10.5000
Variance 27.313
Std. Deviation 5.22620
Minimum 4.00
Maximum 20.00
Range 16.00
Interquartile Range 8.50
Skewness .322 .512
Kurtosis -1.051 .992
2)
The average bread price in Baltimore is 9.6 dollar with a standard deviation of 3.4. The average
grade price in Washington is $12 with a standard deviation of 5.2. From the value of skewness, it
is evident that the distribution of bread price in Bangalore and Washington is slightly skewed to
the right. There are no significant outliers for the bread prices in Baltimore and Washington as
evident from the box plot.
3)
The skewness value for the bread price in Baltimore and Washington is 0.393 and 0.322
respectively. For a skewed distribution, the median is considered as the best measure of Central
Tendency. The median bread price for Baltimore is 8.5 dollar and that in Washington is 10.5
dollar.
4)

For for a skewed distribution median is considered as the best measure of Central Tendency. The
interquartile range is considered as the best measure of variation for skewed distribution. The
median bread price for Baltimore is 8.5 dollar and that in Washington is 10.5 dollar. The
interquartile range is the difference between 3rd quartile and 1st quartile. The IQR for bread
prices in Baltimore and Washington is 6 and 8.5 respectively.
References
Huck, S. W., Cormier, W. H., & Bounds, W. G. (1974). Reading statistics and research (pp. 74-
102). New York: Harper & Row.
McClave, J. T., Benson, P. G., & Sincich, T. (2005). Statistics for business and economics.
Pearson/Prentice Hall.