Probability, Statistics, and Data Analysis

Notes # 3

Frequency Distribution Table (FDT)

A frequency distribution table shows the frequency with which each item appears in a set of data. The data
are grouped into class intervals along with the corresponding frequency for each class interval.

Definition of Terms

Class Interval (CI) → the ranges of data values for which an observation can belong

Lower Class Limit (LCL) → the least value that can belong to a class interval

Upper Class Limit (UCL) → the greatest value that can belong to a class interval

Class Width ( w ) → the difference between the upper (or lower) class limits of consecutive class intervals

Note: All class intervals (or classes) should have the same class width.

Frequency ( f ) → the number of times a certain value or class of values occurs

Relative Frequency (RF) → the frequency divided by the total frequency times 100%

Class Midpoint ( m ) → the middle value of each data class interval

LCL  UCL
m
2
Class Boundaries (CB) → the numbers that separate class intervals (or classes) without forming gaps
between them

Note: The boundaries have one more decimal place than the raw data and ends in a 5.

Cumulative Frequency (CF) → the running total of the frequencies

Less Than Cumulative Frequency ( < CF ) → the number of values less than the upper class
boundary of the current class interval

Greater Than Cumulative Frequency ( > CF ) → the number of values greater than the
lower class boundary of the current class interval

1
Guidelines in Constructing a Grouped Frequency Distribution Table

1. Find the range R.

R = Highest Value – Lowest Value

2. Use Sturge’s approximation formula to get an estimate of the class width w. Round off w to the nearest
number of decimal places of the data.

R
w
1 3.322 log n

3. Select the lowest value as your first LCL.

4. Add the class width to the first LCL to get the lower limit for the next class.

5. Keep constructing the next class interval by adding the class width to the LCL of the current class until
you reach the last class interval (or until the highest value in the data set has a class interval to belong to).

6. Tally the frequency for each class interval.

7. Construct the relative frequency, class midpoint, class boundary, less than cumulative frequency, and
greater than cumulative frequency.

Example: Suppose you are working for the transport manager of a large chain of supermarkets which hires
cars for the use of its staff. Your manager is interested in the weekly distances covered by these cars.
Mileages recorded for a sample of hired vehicles from 'Fleet 1' during a given week yielded the following
data:

138 164 150 132 144 125 149 157 161 150
146 158 140 109 136 148 152 144 145 145
168 126 138 166 163 109 154 165 135 156
146 163 100 104 135 153 140 135 142 128

Construct a frequency distribution table.

2
Measures of Center (Grouped Data)

Mean

mi  ith class midpoint

x
fm i i
where f i  ith class frequency
n
n f i

Median

n  L lower class boundary of the median class

 C  w class width
x  L  w 2
~  where
 f  C less than cumulative frequency before the median class
 
  f  frequency of the median class

n
Note: The median class is the class interval where the  th observation belongs.
2

Mode

L  lower class boundary of the modal class

 d1 
xˆ  L  w   where w  class width
 d1  d 2 
d1  difference between the frequency of the modal class and
the frequency before the modal class
d 2  difference between the frequency of the modal class and
the frequency after the modal class

Note: The modal class is the class interval with the highest frequency.

3
Measures of Position for Grouped Data

The kth Percentile Pk

L  lower class boundary of the class containing Pk
 kn  w  class width
 C 
Pk  L  w  100  where C  less than cumulative frequency before the
 f 
  class containing Pk
 
f  frequency of the class containing Pk

 kn 
Note: The class containing Pk is the class interval where the  th observation belongs.
 100 

The kth Decile Dk

L  lower class boundary of the class containing Dk
 kn  w  class width
 C 
Dk  L  w  10  where C  less than cumulative frequency before the
 f 
  class containing Dk
 
f  frequency of the class containing Dk

 kn 
Note: The class containing Dk is the class interval where the  th observation belongs.
 10 

The kth Quartile Qk

L  lower class boundary of the class containing Qk
 kn  w  class width
 C 
Qk  L  w  4  where C  less than cumulative frequency before the
 f 
  class containing Qk
 
f  frequency of the class containing Qk

 kn 
Note: The class containing Qk is the class interval where the  th observation belongs.
 4

4
Measures of Variation (Grouped Data)

Variance
mi  ith class midpoint
n f i mi2   f i mi 
2

s 
2
where f i  ith class frequency
nn  1
n f i

Standard Deviation
mi  ith class midpoint
n f i mi2   f i mi 
2

s f i  ith class frequency

nn  1
where
n f i

Exercise: A random sample of 100 households in a certain town yielded the following monthly town gas
consumption (in cubic meters) for the last month as follows:

55 82 83 109 78 87 95 94 85 67
80 109 83 89 91 104 90 103 67 52
107 78 86 29 72 66 92 99 60 75
88 112 97 88 49 62 70 66 88 62
72 85 81 78 77 41 105 92 94 74
78 75 87 83 71 99 56 69 78 60
119 39 104 86 67 79 98 102 82 91
46 120 73 125 132 86 48 55 112 28
42 24 130 100 46 57 31 129 137 59
102 51 135 53 105 110 107 46 108 117

Construct a frequency distribution table. Compute for the mean, median, mode, variance, standard
deviation, 30th percentile, 6th decile, and 3rd quartile.