What Defines an Outlier?

An outlier is an observation that lies an abnormal distance from other values in a random sample from a population. In a sense, this definition leaves it up to the analyst (or a consensus process) to decide what will be considered abnormal. ... These points are often referred to as outliers.

How do you identify outliers?

Determining Outliers

Multiplying the interquartile range (IQR) by 1.5 will give us a way to determine whether a certain value is an outlier. If we subtract 1.5 x IQR from the first quartile, any data values that are less than this number are considered outliers.

What number is considered an outlier?

An outlier is defined as being any point of data that lies over 1.5 IQRs below the first quartile (Q1) or above the third quartile (Q3)in a data set. Example Question: Find the outliers for the following data set: 3, 10, 14, 22, 19, 29, 70, 49, 36, 32.

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins

Senior Technology Editor & AI Specialist

Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.