quartile
Definition
- Noun:
- (Statistics) A value that divides a set of ranked data into four equal parts: A quartile is one of three points (the first quartile, second quartile/median, and third quartile) that split a sorted data set into four groups, each containing 25% of the data points.
Usage
- Noun:
- The quartile is a key concept in descriptive statistics for understanding data spread.
- Analysts often examine the interquartile range, which is the difference between the third and first quartile.
Examples
- Noun:
- The first quartile (Q1) marks the 25th percentile of the data.
- Her test score was in the upper quartile, meaning she performed better than at least 75% of the students.
- The report highlighted the income disparity between the lowest and highest quartiles of the population.
Advanced Usage
- "To fall into the [first/second/third/fourth] quartile": To be categorized within a specific 25% segment of a ranked distribution.
- Our company's performance fell into the top quartile for customer satisfaction this quarter.
Variants and Related Words
- Interquartile Range (IQR) (n): A measure of statistical dispersion, calculated as the difference between the third and first quartiles (Q3 - Q1).
- The interquartile range is less sensitive to outliers than the full range.
Synonyms
- Percentile (specifically the 25th, 50th, or 75th percentile): A value below which a given percentage of observations in a group falls. The second quartile is the 50th percentile.
- Division point / Cut point: A general term for a value that divides a data set.
Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs or Idioms)
- Decile: A value that divides a set of ranked data into ten equal parts.
- Quantile: A broader term for values that divide a data set into equal-sized subgroups (quartiles, percentiles, and deciles are all types of quantiles).
Noun
-
(statistics) any of three points that divide an ordered distribution into four parts each containing one quarter of the scores
