Alternative definitions

There is no unique definition of quartiles or percentiles.

We introduced the idea of percentiles by reading them from the cumulative distribution function. However this is a step function and computer software effectively uses a smoothed version when it reports percentiles.

In practical terms, the difference is unimportant.

If your conclusion about the data would change with a different definition of the percentiles, you are over-interpreting the data.


Annual rainfall in Dodoma, Tanzania