Question

Jordan looks at the line plot. He says the difference between the most capacity and the least capacity is 1/4 gallon. He says he knows the difference without subtracting. Explain Jordan’s mistake and find actual difference between measurements.

Answer 1

In a line plot the maximum value is the rightmost mark in the line plot; in this case the maximum capacity is 2 1/2. On the other hand the minimum value is the leftmost mark in the line plot, here the minimum is 1 1/2. Let's calculate the difference between them:

$2\frac{1}{2}-1\frac{1}{2}=1$

Therefore, the difference between the maxiimum and minimum capacity is 1.