
The main advantage of a stemplot is that the data are grouped whilst also displaying all the original data.Įach observation may be considered as consisting of two parts: a stem and a leaf. The two values, 363 and 369, can only be found by searching through all the original data. However, it cannot be seen from the table what those actual observations are. In the previous example on battery life, it can be seen that there are two observations that lie in the interval 360-369. The other method of creating the stem and leaf plot is shown with the same data.The use of a stem and leaf plot, or stemplot, is a technique to classify either discrete or continuous variables. Another advantage is the Stem and Leaf plot shows at least two significant digits.

These plots can provide a quick snapshot on the distribution of the data and expo se outliers. Remember each data point is represented numerically.įor larger sets of data, a cleaner graphical method that also quickly shows a lot of insight is a box plot (fixed width, variable width, or notched) or a histogram.Ī histogram can lose the individual values of the data whereas this plot retains most of (often all) the raw numerical data. Since these are typically done by hand, it can become time consuming and messy with large sets of data. However, what is required to give the shape its proper scaling, is the entry of the leaves must take the same amount of space.įor example, if the amount of spacing between the 3 and 8 (to the right of the stem 4) was extended due to careless recording on a board then it might give the wrong appearance of the shape. It doesn't matter that each data point is plotted in sequence, any order will still give the shape the same appearance at the end. Once the modes are understood and possibly separated or eliminated then normality assumptions may apply allowing easier assessment of process capability and a benchmark z-score can be created. By looking at only the numerical data it is not as obvious to see, but once it is graphed it is simple to spot and fix early in the process. The team should investigate how the data is getting recorded, who, machines, parts, measuring devices, and other inputs that are leading to this. It doesn't appear there are any outliers if there are two modes occurring. It appears there is two modes and both modes taking on the shape of a normal distribution which is referred to as bimodal. Either method will get the same result just shown in a different orientation. Or it can be created where the stem is created along the bottom and the leaves built on top which would show the distribution in a "vertical" manner. This plot can be created where the stem is shown as the left column and the leaves in the right column which would show the distribution in a "horizontal" manner. The Stem and Leaf plot is used less frequently today.
#Stem plot vs histogram software
Since most software programs can handle large amounts of data, there are more informational types of graphical methods used. They were most popular in the 1980's and were often done by hand with manageable amounts of data. The leaves are smaller increments of each data point that are built onto the stems

The stems are groups of data by class intervals.

The Stem and Leaf plot is used to display categorical (discrete) or variable data. Share Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Stem and Leaf Plot
