IXL | Box plots | 6th grade math - Free Printable

Let’s look at the box plot to figure out what fraction of catapults flung a marshmallow 30 inches or less.

A box plot shows five key numbers:
- The smallest value (left end of the whisker)
- The first quartile (Q1 — left edge of the box)
- The median (middle line inside the box)
- The third quartile (Q3 — right edge of the box)
- The largest value (right end of the whisker)

From the plot:
- The left whisker ends at 20 → that’s the minimum.
- The left edge of the box is at 30 → that’s Q1, which means 25% of the data is below this point.
- The middle line in the box is at 50 → that’s the median (50% below, 50% above).
- The right edge of the box is at 70 → that’s Q3 (75% below this point).
- The right whisker ends at 80 → maximum.

The question asks: What fraction flung a marshmallow 30 inches or less?

Since 30 is the first quartile (Q1), that means 25% of the students’ catapults threw 30 inches or less.

Why? Because by definition, Q1 separates the lowest 25% of the data from the rest.

So, 25% as a fraction is:

> 25/100 = 1/4

✔ Final Answer:
1/4