4 ms·

Arguing that nobody who might be professionally expected to look at a box plot can be reasonably expected to understand how box plots are defined doesn't make a

Arguing that nobody who might be professionally expected to look at a box plot can be reasonably expected to understand how box plots are defined doesn't make a compelling case that using them is a good idea.

blueflow 2y ago
If the method how the plot boxes are calculated is not clear (this thread references at least two different methods), you'll need to explicitly write it down which methods you did use.
- thaumasiotes 2y ago
  > this thread references at least two different methods No, as the sidethread comment notes, there is only one way you can compute quartiles. You seem to be arguing that the correct thing to do is to impute them, and that calculating them is such a deviant practice that it would need to be specially remarked on.
  - blueflow 2y ago
    Isn't this what i was saying from the beginning? Box plots are made for visualizing generalized normal distributions and nothing else. And now people in this thread argue you can calculate them from something else. Not sure if you are replying to the right post.
    - thaumasiotes 2y ago
      That might be what you were saying from the beginning, but the only thing that that would establish is that you're completely out of touch with reality. Box plots are made for visualizing quartiles. Your theory would imply, among other things, that the median line going through the box part of a box plot always divides it in half, which obviously is not the case.
      - blueflow 2y ago
        No? Exponential Gaussian? Whatever you do, you should explain first what you do that your whiskers stay meaningful and are not just whatever randomness your outliers produced.
A4ET8a8uTh0 2y ago
It is actually a fascinating argument that shows how little of what is being decided is based on actual data ( or at least our understanding of it ), but rather that data visualization is being used to push already pre-approved decisions with data being used merely as a 'for' argument. I agree that if there is an indication that if most professionals don't really know what boxplot is supposed communicate, maybe it should not be used.

blueflow 2y ago

If the method how the plot boxes are calculated is not clear (this thread references at least two different methods), you'll need to explicitly write it down which methods you did use.

thaumasiotes 2y ago
> this thread references at least two different methods No, as the sidethread comment notes, there is only one way you can compute quartiles. You seem to be arguing that the correct thing to do is to impute them, and that calculating them is such a deviant practice that it would need to be specially remarked on.
- blueflow 2y ago
  Isn't this what i was saying from the beginning? Box plots are made for visualizing generalized normal distributions and nothing else. And now people in this thread argue you can calculate them from something else. Not sure if you are replying to the right post.
  - thaumasiotes 2y ago
    That might be what you were saying from the beginning, but the only thing that that would establish is that you're completely out of touch with reality. Box plots are made for visualizing quartiles. Your theory would imply, among other things, that the median line going through the box part of a box plot always divides it in half, which obviously is not the case.
    - blueflow 2y ago
      No? Exponential Gaussian? Whatever you do, you should explain first what you do that your whiskers stay meaningful and are not just whatever randomness your outliers produced.

A4ET8a8uTh0 2y ago

It is actually a fascinating argument that shows how little of what is being decided is based on actual data ( or at least our understanding of it ), but rather that data visualization is being used to push already pre-approved decisions with data being used merely as a 'for' argument. I agree that if there is an indication that if most professionals don't really know what boxplot is supposed communicate, maybe it should not be used.