Informally assess the degree of visual overlap of two numerical data distributions

What you'll learn

1. Visually compare two numerical data distributions displayed as dot plots or box plots placed side by side on a common scale, and describe the degree of overlap or separation they observe.
2. Compute the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) of a small data set by finding the mean, calculating absolute deviations from the mean, and averaging those deviations.
3. Calculate the difference between the means of two data distributions and express that difference as a multiple of the MAD.
4. Use the MAD-multiple to make an informal judgment about whether the two distributions are noticeably separated, partially overlapping, or substantially overlapping.
5. Connect a visual impression of separation on a dot plot to a numerical measure, explaining why a larger MAD-multiple corresponds to less overlap.

Prerequisites

• Use data from a random sample to draw inferences about a population