Anscombe’s quartet

Anscombe’s quartet–cognitive activator

Teacher notes
Anscombe’s quartet is fairly well-known data set comprising four lists of 11 data points (x,y). Students discover
that the lists all have the same mean, variance (and therefore the same standard deviation) as well as the same
Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient. However, they look very different when graphed. The data set
demonstrates the benefits of graphing before analyzing bivariate data.

Connection to prior knowledge

Statistical measures, presenting data, the effect of outliers.

Essential question
What measures do we use to describe data? What information do we need to draw valid conclusions?

Essential strategy
Graphical analysis is an important approach to interpret data and functions.

Activity
In 1973, British mathematician Francis Anscombe presented four data sets, each containing 11 points.

Anscombe's quartet
I II III IV
x y x y x y x y
10.0 8.04 10.0 9.14 10.0 7.46 8.0 6.58
8.0 6.95 8.0 8.14 8.0 6.77 8.0 5.76
13.0 7.58 13.0 8.74 13.0 12.74 8.0 7.71
9.0 8.81 9.0 8.77 9.0 7.11 8.0 8.84
11.0 8.33 11.0 9.26 11.0 7.81 8.0 8.47
14.0 9.96 14.0 8.10 14.0 8.84 8.0 7.04
6.0 7.24 6.0 6.13 6.0 6.08 8.0 5.25
4.0 4.26 4.0 3.10 4.0 5.39 19.0 12.50
12.0 10.84 12.0 9.13 12.0 8.15 8.0 5.56
7.0 4.82 7.0 7.26 7.0 6.42 8.0 7.91
5.0 5.68 5.0 4.74 5.0 5.73 8.0 6.89

Mathematics: analysis and approaches teacher support material 1

 Anscombe’s quartet

List I List II List III List IV

x y x y x y x y
10.0 8.04 10.0 9.14 10.0 7.46 8.0 6.58
8.0 6.95 8.0 8.14 8.0 6.77 8.0 5.76
13.0 7.58 13.0 8.74 13.0 12.74 8.0 7.71
9.0 8.81 9.0 8.77 9.0 7.11 8.0 8.84
11.0 8.33 11.0 9.26 11.0 7.81 8.0 8.47
14.0 9.96 14.0 8.10 14.0 8.84 8.0 7.04
6.0 7.24 6.0 6.13 6.0 6.08 8.0 5.25
4.0 4.26 4.0 3.10 4.0 5.39 19.0 12.50
12.0 10.84 12.0 9.13 12.0 8.15 8.0 5.56
7.0 4.82 7.0 7.26 7.0 6.42 8.0 7.91
5.0 5.68 5.0 4.74 5.0 5.73 8.0 6.89

For each data set:

- Students should calculate the mean of x, variance of x, mean of y, variance of y, correlation

coefficient, regression equation y on x.
- In groups of three or four they should then discuss what they notice.
- Ask students to draw a scatter plot of each data set and draw the regression equation y on x.
- In their groups, students should then discuss their findings.

Reflect and/or extend

The teacher can ask the students to reflect upon the following.

- How are these results possible?

- Do we need to graph data before analyzing it?
- How do we know if a data point is an outlier?
- How do we know if data is linear, quadratic or cubic?
- Lots of additional information about this activity can be found online.

Mathematics: analysis and approaches teacher support material 2

 Anscombe’s quartet

Statistics and Graphs–results

List I List II List III List IV

x y x y x y x y
4 4.26 4 3.1 4 5.39 8 6.58
5 5.68 5 4.74 5 5.73 8 5.76
6 7.24 6 6.13 6 6.08 8 7.71
7 4.82 7 7.26 7 6.42 8 8.84
8 6.95 8 8.14 8 6.77 8 8.47
9 8.81 9 8.77 9 7.11 8 7.04
10 8.04 10 9.14 10 7.46 8 5.25
11 8.33 11 9.26 11 7.81 8 5.56
12 10.84 12 9.13 12 8.15 8 7.91
13 7.58 13 8.74 13 12.74 8 6.89
14 9.96 14 8.1 14 8.84 19 12.5

mean of x 9 9 9 9

variance of x 10 10 10 10

mean of y 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50

variance of y 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75

correlation of x and y 0.82 0.82 0.82 0.82

Mathematics: analysis and approaches teacher support material 3