MEASURE OF POSITION – are techniques that divide a set of data into equal groups: quartile, decile, and

percentile.

1. Quartiles – are natural extension of the median that divide a distribution into four equal parts.

𝑘
𝑄𝑘 = (𝑛 + 1)
4

Where:

𝑄𝑘 = Quartile (𝑄1 – first quartile, 𝑄2 – second quartile, 𝑄3 – third quartile)

𝑘 = quartile position
𝑛= number of data in a data set
Steps:

1. Order the data from least to greatest.

2. Use the formula.

Example: Solve for the 𝑄1 , 𝑄2 , and 𝑄3 of the following data set: 5, 7, 4, 4, 6, 2, 8.

Step 1: Put them in order.

2, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Step 2: Use the formula.

For 𝑄1 : 𝑘 = 1, 𝑛 = 7

1
𝑄1 = (7 + 1)
4
1
𝑄1 = (8)
4
8
𝑄1 =
4

𝑄1 = 2

Since 𝑄1 = 2, it means that that the value of the first quartile is the second data in our data set which is

For 𝑄2 : 𝑘 = 2, 𝑛 = 7

2
𝑄1 = (7 + 1)
4
2
𝑄1 = (8)
4
16
𝑄1 =
4

𝑄1 = 4

Since 𝑄2 = 4, it means that that the value of the second quartile is the fourth data in our data set which
is 5.
For 𝑄3 : 𝑘 = 3, 𝑛 = 7

3
𝑄1 = (7 + 1)
4
3
𝑄1 = (8)
4
24
𝑄1 =
4

𝑄1 = 6

Since 𝑄3 = 6, it means that that the value of the third quartile is the sixth data in our data set which is 7.

2. Deciles – are the values that divide the data set into ten equal parts.
𝑘
𝐷𝑘 = (𝑛 + 1)
10
3. Percentiles – are values that divide the distribution into 100 equal parts.
𝑘
𝑃𝑘 = (𝑛 + 1)
100