Question

two basketball players average the same number of points per game. what information would be most helpful in determining which players game performances show the least variability?

the average number of points each players team scores per game
the most and least points each player has scored in a game
the total number of points each player has scored
the number of games each player has played

Explanation:

To determine variability in performance (which is related to how consistent a player is), we need to know the scores in each game. Variability measures like range (difference between the most and least points in a game), standard deviation, or variance all rely on individual - game scores. The average number of points per game (first box) only gives a central tendency measure. The total number of points (third box) and the number of games played (fourth box) don't directly give information about how the points are distributed across games. Only the most and least points each player has scored in a game (second box) starts to hint at spread, but the actual scores per game are needed for a full variability analysis.

Answer:

The scores per game.