Step by step
The question
Question: make a stem-and-leaf plot of 52, 47, 63, 38, 55, 71, 49, 60, 44, 58, 66, 41, 53 and 69.
Find the median.
1 Split the numbers
The tens digit is the stem.
The ones digit is the leaf.
52: stem 5, leaf 2.
Careful!
Every plot needs a key.
5, line, 2 means 52, not 7.
2 Write the leaves
The stems go down the side: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
52: leaf 2 goes after stem 5.
We cross out 52.
47: leaf 7 after stem 4.
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 3: 8.
And the key: 5, line, 2 means 52.
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: 53 and 55.
The median is halfway between them.
Halfway: we add them and divide by 2.
53 plus 55 is 108.
Divided by 2 is 54.
So the median is 54.
5 Check
Let's check: the plot has 14 leaves, one for each of the 14 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.