What term is used for values that are significantly higher or lower than the rest in box plots?

The term used for values that are significantly higher or lower than the rest in box plots is "outliers." In the context of a box plot, outliers represent data points that fall outside the expected range defined by the distribution of the main data set. Typically, these are values that are more than 1.5 times the interquartile range (IQR) above the third quartile or below the first quartile.

Outliers can provide important insights into the variability of the data and can indicate special cases, errors, or significant variations that merit further investigation. Recognizing outliers is essential for accurate data interpretation and analysis, as they can have a considerable impact on statistical outcomes.

Other terms related to box plots, such as median values, quartiles, and interquartile range, refer to different aspects of data distribution. For instance, while median values represent the middle point of the data set, quartiles divide the data into four equal parts, and the interquartile range measures the spread of the middle half of the data. These terms help describe the overall data distribution but do not specifically denote values that are extreme compared to the rest of the data.