What Is an Outlier Number?
Data Sets Data sets are collections of values for a given measurement. Measuring the length of a specific object five times would produce a data set of five values, one for each measurement made. Data collected may be classified as discrete, categorical, nominal or ordinal. Whatever the data set, it is possible to collect data that appears significantly outside the range of the other data collected. These data points are termed outliers. Outlier Measurement Errors Measuring the mass of a specific object five times should produce a series of measurements nearly the same depending on instrument and procedural ability. If four of the measurements are 5.0 grams and a fifth measurement shows 8.0 grams, the 8.0 gram measurement is an outlier. In this case, the outlier is most likely the result of an error in measurement rather. However, the outlier may be the result of an actual change in the mass of the substance resulting from a chemical reaction. Valid Outliers Data sets are often analyze
