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Introduction to Stem and Leaf Plots
A stem and leaf plot is a graphical representation of a data set in which the individual data values are displayed as leaves on a stem. The stem is a horizontal line that represents the median of the data set, and the leaves are the individual data values. The stem and leaf plot allows you to see the distribution of the data set and to identify the values that are farthest from the median.
Stem and Leaf Plot Definition
A stem and leaf plot is a graphical representation of data in which the data is displayed in a table with the stems (the first numbers in a sequence) on the vertical axis and the leaves (the last numbers in a sequence) on the horizontal axis. The data is usually displayed in ascending order.
Steps for Making Stem-and-Leaf Plots
There are a few simple steps to follow in order to create a stem-and-leaf plot.
1. Begin by organizing your data in a table.
2. Next, create a column for the leaves and a column for the stems.
3. In the leaves column, list the data values in order from smallest to largest.
4. In the stems column, list the corresponding stem values.
5. Finally, create the stem-and-leaf plot by drawing a vertical line down the middle of the table and dividing it into two columns. The leaves column should be on the left and the stems column should be on the right.
Then, draw a series of horizontal lines across the table. The first line should be just below the leaves column and the last line should be just above the stems column. Finally, draw a series of vertical lines to represent the stems.
What if we Have to Make a Stem and Leaf Plot for Decimals?
If you have to make a stem and leaf plot for decimals, the stem would be the number of the decimal place and the leaf would be the actual decimal number. For example, if you were given the number .234, the stem would be 2 and the leaf would be 4.
Activity on Stem and Leaf Plot
On the stem and leaf plot, the stem is the horizontal line and the leaves are the vertical lines. The numbers on the stem are the stems and the numbers on the leaves are the leaves. The leaves are sorted in ascending order.
Do You Know?
The first product to have a barcode was Wrigley’s gum.
