Laatikkoruutuplots

Laatikkoruutuplots, also known as box plots or box-and-whisker plots, are a statistical visualization tool used to represent the distribution of a dataset. They are particularly useful for comparing distributions across different groups or categories. A laatikkoruutuplot displays the five-number summary of a dataset, which includes the minimum, first quartile (Q1), median, third quartile (Q3), and maximum.

The box in the plot represents the interquartile range (IQR), which is the difference between Q3 and Q1. The median is shown as a line within the box. The "whiskers" extend from the box to the minimum and maximum values within a certain range, typically 1.5 times the IQR from the edges of the box. Data points that fall outside this range are often plotted individually as outliers.

Laatikkoruutuplots provide a quick visual understanding of a dataset's spread, central tendency, and potential outliers. They are effective for identifying skewness in the data. For example, if the median is closer to Q1 than Q3, the distribution is likely right-skewed. Conversely, if the median is closer to Q3, the distribution is likely left-skewed. When comparing multiple laatikkoruutuplots side-by-side, it becomes easy to see differences in medians, spreads, and ranges between the datasets. They are commonly used in fields such as finance, biology, and social sciences to summarize and compare data.