Analyze the Distribution of Trip Distance
Company: Capital One
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Analytics & Experimentation
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Online Assessment
# Analyze the Distribution of Trip Distance
Using the loaded green-taxi trip data, plot a histogram of `Trip Distance`. Describe the visible structure and propose testable hypotheses for zero, unusually small, multimodal, or extreme values without presenting speculation as fact.
### Constraints & Assumptions
- Preserve and report how many missing, zero, negative, and extreme values exist before filtering.
- Explain binning, axis scale, and any clipping or transformation.
- The chart and narrative must distinguish observed patterns from possible causes.
### Clarifying Questions to Ask
- Is the audience interested in operational data quality, typical passenger trips, or both?
- Should distance be analyzed on the raw scale, a log scale, or complementary views?
```hint Let the tails influence the display choice
A single linear histogram can hide the center when a few records are extremely large.
```
### What a Strong Answer Covers
- Data-quality checks before visualization.
- Defensible binning and at least one view that reveals the main mass.
- Quantitative annotations such as quantiles and excluded counts.
- Plausible hypotheses paired with ways to test them.
### Follow-up Questions
- How would you tell data-entry errors from legitimate long trips?
- Which plot would better compare distance distributions across time of day?
Overview: Plot a histogram of trip distance and explain visible structure and plausible hypotheses for that structure.