Respuesta :
Answer:
b. skewness
Step-by-step explanation:
Skewness is the term associated with the lack of symmetry in a distribution. It indicates whether the data is skewed to the left or right.
Final answer:
The term that describes the lack of symmetry in a distribution is skewness. A right (positive) skew means the tail extends more on the right, while a left (negative) skew means the tail extends more on the left. Skewness is key in understanding the relationship between mean, median, and mode in non-symmetrical distributions. So, b. skewness is the correct option.
Explanation:
The term associated with the lack of symmetry in a distribution is skewness. Skewness refers to the degree to which a distribution differs from a symmetrical bell curve or normal distribution. In a symmetrical distribution, the mean, median, and mode are all located at the same point on the distribution curve, indicating equal tails on either side of the central peak.
However, when a distribution is skewed, these measures of central tendency diverge. A right-skewed (or positive skewed) distribution is characterized by a long tail on the right side, where typically the mean is greater than the median, which is greater than the mode. Conversely, a left-skewed (or negative skewed) distribution has a long tail on the left side, and in such cases, the mean is less than the median, which is often less than the mode.
It is important to consider skewness when discussing probability distributions and especially in determining the reliability of the mean as a measure of central tendency, as it can be affected by the presence of outliers. Skewness is distinct from variability, which is a measure of the spread of a distribution, often indicated by the standard deviation. Kurtosis, another measure of distribution shape, reflects the 'peakedness' of the distribution but is not what we are referring to here. An ogive is a type of graph used to represent the cumulative frequency distribution of a dataset, not its asymmetry. Therefore, the correct option is ‘b. skewness’.
