Step by step
The question
Question: make a stem-and-leaf plot of 13, 27, 35, 22, 18, 31, 26, 40, 29, 33 and 24.
Find the range.
1 Split the numbers
The tens digit is the stem.
The ones digit is the leaf.
13: stem 1, leaf 3.
Careful!
Every plot needs a key.
1, line, 3 means 13, not 4.
2 Write the leaves
The stems go down the side: 1, 2, 3 and 4.
13: leaf 3 goes after stem 1.
We cross out 13.
27: leaf 7 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: 3 and 8.
And the key: 1, line, 3 means 13.
4 Read the plot
The smallest is the first leaf on the top row: 13.
The biggest is the last leaf on the bottom row: 40.
The range is the biggest minus the smallest.
40 minus 13 is 27.
5 Check
Let's check: the plot has 11 leaves, one for each of the 11 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.