March 26, 2024 Skewness & Kurtosis

Lesson Objectives

• Objective 1: To review outliers

• Objective 2: To define skewness

• Objective 3: To calculate and interpret coefficients of

skewness

• Objective 4: To describe forms of kurtosis

 Outliers

Quartile method – Turkey’s:

Q1  1.5 IQR Q3  1.5 IQR

Possible outliers Possible outliers

Min ( ( ) ) Max
Q1 Q3
Probable Probable
outliers outliers
Q1  3IQR Q3  3IQR

Standard deviation method:

Outliers
Outliers 
( )
Min   3   3 Max
 Skewness
 Skewness means shifting from normal

 Normal or Symmetric distribution,

 Properties of normality:

 Has a bell shape

 Tails off or tapers on both sides – Middle values tend to have

higher frequencies while the tails have lower frequencies.

 Has axis of symmetry at the middle/centre.

 The values of the mean, median and mode coincide (are equal)
i.e.   Md  Mo
Illustration of normal distribution
 Skewness cont…
 Definition:
Skewness is the off centeredness of a distribution

the deviation from normality or degree

to which a distribution is not normal.

 Skewness  Asymmetry

 Forms of skewness:

 Positively skewed

 Negatively skewed
Properties of a negative skewness
 Higher/larger data values tend to have higher frequencies
while lower values have smaller frequencies

 The distribution tails-off or tapers to the left - Skewed to the

left.

 The mean is the least/smallest while the mode is the largest of

the three measures of central tendency
i.e.   Md  Mo
Illustration of a negatively skewed distribution

A B C
Properties of a positive skewness
 Lower/smaller data values tend to have higher frequencies
while higher/larger values have smaller frequencies

 The distribution tails-off or tapers to the right - Skewed to the

right.

 The mode is the least/smallest while the mean is the largest of

the three measures of central tendency
i.e.   Md  Mo
Illustration of a positively skewed distribution

A B C
 Activity 1
 Determine whether the distribution below is
symmetrical or skewed. If skewed, is it left or right
skewed?
 Coefficient of Skewness

 Definition:
Is the measure of the degree and direction of skewness of
a distribution or data set.

 Common Coef of skewness:

 Pearson’s Coef of skewness (Pearsonian Coefs)

 Quartile Coef of skewness (Bowley’s Coef).

Pearson’s coefficient of skewness

 Pearson’s first coef of skewness:

Mean  Mode   Mo
SK1  
Standard Deviation 
 Pearson’s second coef of skewness:

3(Mean  Median) 3(   Md )
SK 2  
Standard Deviation 
Quartile coefficient of skewness - Bowley

 Quartile coef of skewness:

SK Q 
 Upper  Lower   2  Middle Q3  Q1   2Q2

Upper  Lower Q3  Q1

NB: Takes care of the effects of outliers

 Interpreting coefficient of skewness

Symmetrical
Normal

Negatively Positively
Highly negatively Highly positively
[
[
 1 0 1 
 Activity 2
Table below shows the ages of a residents of a
village.
Age (years) Number of residents
0 – 10 15
10 – 15 22
15 – 20 25
20 – 25 30
25 – 35 20
35 – 45 12
45 – 80 5

 Determine and interpret the coefficient of skewness

of the distribution of the ages. What possible cause/s
would explain the conclusion you have made?

SK1 =0.037, SK2 =0.4116 & SKQ =0.034

 Kurtosis
 Definition:
Is the degree of tailedness of a distribution i.e. combined
weights of the tails

 Forms of kurtosis,

 Mesokurtic: Tails have same weight as the normal distribution.

 Platykurtic: Tails have less weight than the normal distribution

Tails are thinner relative to the normal
The curve is the least peaked

 Leptokurtic: Tails have more weight than the normal distribution.

Tails are fatter/thicker relative to the normal
The curve is the most peaked
Illustrations of kurtosis

Leptokurtic

Mesokurtic

Platykurtic
Illustrations of kurtosis

Leptokurtic

Mesokurtic

Platykurtic
Next Lesson: Probability

Q&A
Thank You