A five number summary calculator is a statistical tool that provides a concise overview of a dataset’s distribution. It is comprised of five numbers: the minimum, maximum, median, and the first and third quartiles. For instance, in a dataset representing the ages of students in a class, the five number summary might be: Minimum: 18, Q1: 20, Median: 22, Q3: 25, Maximum: 28.
The five number summary is important because it allows users to quickly see the range, center, and spread of a dataset. It is commonly used in data analysis, statistics, and quality control. Historically, the five number summary was developed by John Tukey in the 1970s as a way to summarize numerical data in a manner that conveyed maximum information.
