Step by step
The question
Question: make a stem-and-leaf plot of 11, 23, 19, 35, 28, 14, 31, 26, 17, 22, 38, 25, 29, 20, 33 and 16.
Find the median.
1 Split the numbers
The tens digit is the stem.
The ones digit is the leaf.
11: stem 1, leaf 1.
Careful!
Every plot needs a key.
1, line, 1 means 11, not 2.
2 Write the leaves
The stems go down the side: 1, 2 and 3.
11: leaf 1 goes after stem 1.
We cross out 11.
23: leaf 3 after stem 2.
And so on, in the order they come.
3 Put the leaves in order
Now we write the plot again, with each row of leaves in order, smallest first.
Stem 1: 1, 4, 6, 7 and 9.
And the key: 1, line, 1 means 11.
4 Read the plot
The leaves are in order now.
We cross out the smallest and the biggest.
And the next pair, and so on.
Two are left in the middle: 23 and 25.
The median is halfway between them.
Halfway: we add them and divide by 2.
23 plus 25 is 48.
Divided by 2 is 24.
So the median is 24.
5 Check
Let's check: the plot has 16 leaves, one for each of the 16 numbers.
So none is lost!
Let's look back.
First: split the numbers.
Then: write the leaves.
Then: put the leaves in order.
Then: read the plot.
Last: check.