Common Types of Graphs

Bar Graph
Segmented Bar Graph
Column Graph
Box and Whiskers Graph (also called a Box Plot)
Frequency Graph (Frequency Table)
Cumulative Frequency Table
Frequency Polygon
Funnel Chart
Histogram
Line Graph
Timeplot
Relative Frequency Histogram
Pie Chart
Scatter Plot
Stemplot

Bar Graphs

A bar graph is a type of chart that has bars showing different categories and the amounts in
each category.

Segmented Bar Graph

.This type of graph is a type of bar chart that is stacked, and where the bars show 100 percent
of the discrete value.

Segmented Bar charts are one of the most popular charts used in Statistics. They are a type of
stacked bar chart. In order to understand this chart, first you’ll need to understand the idea
of bar charts and stacked bar charts .

Bar graphs represent comparisons among categories by using horizontal or vertical bars. A bar
chart has two axes. One of them shows a discrete value (i.e. numbers) while the other one
compares the values with different bars in different categories.

A simple bar graph.

Stacked Bar Chart

The stacked bar chart has become quite popular; it is used for grouping or categorizing the
parts of a whole. The bars in this chart are categorized into stacking order to represent different
values. One axis will show the discrete values and the other one will provide the variable bars in
a stacking order. Different colors will show distinctive parts of the whole bar.
List price change announcements by company.

Segmented Bar Charts and Stacked Bar Charts

A segmented Bar chart is one kind of stacked bar chart, but each bar will show 100% of the
discrete value. For example, there are a total of 40 students in your classroom. Out of them, 25
students like Basketball, 30 students like Volleyball, and 20 students like Badminton. There are
25 boys and 15 girls in the class. The data along the vertical side of the box represents sports
while the horizontal represents a certain percentage for each sport. Each bar will show the
preference of each sport according to the number of boys and girls and the bars will be
separated by stacked order, representing one group for the boys and the other for the girls.

Notice how the bars are separated by the number of boys and girls. They are also colored in a
distinctive manner to recognize each category.

But, be careful when you’re dealing with segmented bar charts as they should represent 100%
on each of the barsor else it’s going to be a regular stacked bar chart.
Segmented Bar Chart in Excel

To make a segmented bar chart in Excel:

Step 1: Type your data into Excel like this example:

Step 2: Click the Insert tab, then click Column in the “Charts” section.

Step 3: Select the third icon (in the 2D section).

Microsoft Excel calls a bar graph with vertical bars a column graph and a bar graph with
horizontal bars a bar graph.

Types of Graphs: Box and Whiskers (Boxplots)

This type of graph, sometimes called a boxplot, is useful for showing the five number summary.
What is a Boxplot?

A boxplot, also called a box and whisker plot, is a way to show the spread and centers of a data
set. Measures of spread include the interquartile range and the mean of the data set. Measures
of center include the mean or average and median (the middle of a data set).

The box and whiskers chart shows you how your data is spread out. Five pieces of information
(the “five number summary“) are generally included in the chart:

The minimum (the smallest number in the data set). The minimum is shown at the far left of
the chart, at the end of the left “whisker.”

First quartile, Q1, is the far left of the box (or the far right of the left whisker).

The median is shown as a line in the center of the box.

Third quartile, Q3, shown at the far right of the box (at the far left of the right whisker).

The maximum (the largest number in the data set), shown at the far right of the box.

How to Read a Box Plot

A boxplot is a way to show a five number summary in a chart. The main part of the chart (the
“box”) shows where the middle portion of the data is: the interquartile range. At the ends of
the box, you” find the first quartile (the 25% mark) and the third quartile (the 75% mark). The
far left of the chart (at the end of the left “whisker”) is the minimum (the smallest number in
the set) and the far right is the maximum (the largest number in the set). Finally, the median is
represented by a vertical bar in the center of the box.

Box plots aren’t used that much in real life. However, they can be a useful tool for getting a
quick summary of data.

How to Read a Box Plot: Steps

Step 1: Find the minimum.
The minimum is the far left hand side of the graph, at the tip of the left whisker. For this graph,
the left whisker end is at approximately 0.75.

Step 2: Find Q1, the first quartile.

Q1 is represented by the far left hand side of the box. In this case, about 2.5.

Step 3: Find the median.

The median is represented by the vertical bar. In this boxplot, it can be found at about 6.5.

Step 4: Find Q3, the third quartile.

Q3 is the far right hand edge of the box, at about 12 in this graph.

Step 5: Find the maximum.

The maximum is the end of the “whiskers”: in this graph, at approximately 16.

Example 2

You can easily read a boxplot to find the five number summary. For example, the above image
shows a box and whiskers chart with the following information:

Minimum: 20

Q1: 160
Median: 200

Q3: 330

Maximum: 590

Exception: If your data set has outliers (values that are very high or very low and fall far outside
the other values of the data set), the box and whiskers chart may not show the minimum or
maximum value. Instead, the ends of the whiskers represent one and a half times
the interquartile range (1.5*IQR).

All done. That’s how to read a box plot!

Note on Outliers:

Data sets can sometimes contain outliers that are suspected to be anomalies (perhaps because
of data collection errors or just plain old flukes). If outliers are present, the whisker on the
appropriate side is drawn to 1.5 * IQR rather than the data minimum or the data maximum.
Small circles or unfilled dots are drawn on the chart to indicate where suspected outliers lie.
Filled circles are used for known outliers.

How to Make a Box and Whiskers Chart

Excel

Excel does not have a box and whiskers “Insert Graph” function, so you have to build one using
stacked bar charts. This is a little more time-consuming than inserting a simple graph, but it you
will end up with a great looking box and whiskers graph.

Note: This is an advanced Excel technique, so if you are new to Excel you may want to watch
the video, which has more information and visuals for each step to make a box and whiskers
chart in Excel.
How to Make a Box and Whiskers Chart in Excel: Steps

Sample problem: Make a box and whiskers chart in Excel for the following data set: 25, 145,
145, 148, 178, 178, 198, 201, 222, 210, 565, 589, 485, 333, 358, 158, 257.

Step 1: Type your data into one column in an Excel worksheet. For this example, type your data
into cells A1:A11.

Step 2: Click an empty cell type “MIN, Q1, MED, Q3 and MAX” in a single column. In the next
column over, type formulas for MIN, Q1, MED and MAX. The formulas are:

=MIN(A1:A17)

=QUARTILE(A1:A17,1)

=MED(A1:A17)

=QUARTILE(A1:A17,3)

=MAX(A1:A17)

Step 3: In the next column over, type your Min (in this case, 25) into the cell next to the Min
you calculated.
Step 4: Subtract each value in the previous column from the next value. In other words,
subtract the Min from Q1, the Q1 from the Med, the Med from Q3 and Q3 from the Max.

Step 5: Highlight the column of differences you calculated in Step 4, then click “Insert,” then
click “Bar” and then click “Stacked Bar.”
Steps 6 – 10

Step 6: Click the graph and then click the “Switch Row/Column” button.

Step 7: Select the left-hand blue box, right-click and then click “Format Data Series.”
Step 8: Click “Fill,” then click the “No Fill” radio button and then click “Close.”

Step 9: Add the whisker to the left-hand side using the following method:

Click the left-hand red box.

Select the “Layout” tab, then click “Error Bars”. Next, click “More Error Bar Options.”

Click “Error Bars with Standard Error.”

Select the “Layout” tab again, then click “Error Bars” and then click “More Error Bar Options.”

Click “Mins” and then type the difference between Q1 and the Min into the “Fixed Value” box.
For this sample problem, that value is 133.

Click “Close.”

Remove the red color (fill) using the technique outlined in Steps 7 and 8 above.

Step 10: Add the whisker to the right-hand side of the box and whiskers chart Excel using the
following method:

Click the purple box.

Select the “Layout” tab, then click “Error Bars” → “More Error Bar Options.”

Click “Error Bars with Standard Error.”

Select the “Layout” tab again, then click “Error Bars” → “More Error Bar Options.”

Click “Plus” and then type the difference between Q3 and the Max into the “Fixed Value” box.
For this sample problem, that value is 256.

Click “Close.”

Remove the light-blue color (fill) using the technique outlined in Steps 7 and 8 above.
That’s it: You’ve created a box and whiskers chart in Excel!

Step 11: (Optional) Delete the “Series” information from the right: Click the name and then
press the “Delete” key.

Tip: If you don’t see an error bar show up, that’s likely because you need to change the line
color to “Black” from the More Error Bar Options window.

TI 83 box plot: Overview

Let’s say you have a list of IQ scores for a gifted classroom in a particular elementary school.
The IQ scores are: 118, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 130, 133, 136, 138, 141, 142, 149,
150, 154. That list doesn’t tell you much about anything. However, with a TI 83 box plot, the
data can come to life.

Steps

You may find this article helpful if you’ve never entered a list into the calculator
before: Entering lists on a TI 83.

Step 1: Press STAT, then ENTER, to edit list L1.

Step 2: Enter the data from the problem into the list (one value on each line, don’t enter the
commas):
118, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 130, 133, 136, 138, 141, 142, 149, 150, 154.

Step 3: Press 2nd Y=, to access the Stat Plot menu.

Step 4: Press ENTER ENTER to turn on Plot1.

Step 5: Arrow down to Type, which has 6 icons to the right of it. Highlight the bottom middle
icon, which looks like a syringe with two plungers, and press ENTER to select it.
Step 6: Make sure the XList entry reads “L1“. If it doesn’t, arrow down to it, Press Clear 2nd 1.

Step 7: Press Graph. You should see your Box plot.

Tip: If when you press Graph, you see the message “Err: Stat”, or you just don’t see a box plot
like you expect to, then press Window, and try different settings. Especially try changing
the Xscl (X Scale) item to a larger value.

TI-89
Example problem: Create a box and whiskers chart with the following data: 100, 340, 400, 350,
and 400.

Step 1: Create a new folder called “Box.” From the HOME screen, press F4 and scroll down to
NewFold (option B). Press ENTER.

Step 2: Press 2nd Alpha ( – x to spell B O X and press ENTER.

Step 3: Press APPS, then scroll down to Stats/List Editor. Press ENTER twice.

Step 4: Press the down arrow key to get to the first line of the list. Enter your data into list1.
Follow each entry with a comma: 100, 340, 400, 350, 400.

Step 5: Press F2 then 1 to enter Plot Setup.

Step 6: Press F1, right arrow, and 5 to select mod box plot.

Step 7: Arrow down to Mark and select box.

Step 8: Arrow down and enter B O X (using the alphanumeric keypad) in the x. Press ENTER.

That’s it!

SPSS
SPSS allows you to create two types of boxplots: simple and clustered. Which type of boxplot
you choose depends upon how many variables you want to plot. Choose the simple
chart option when you want to create a plot of one variable, and choose the clustered
boxplot option if you want to create a comparison of variable types. SPSS boxplots can be
created in the Chart Builder or in the Legacy Dialogs menu.

Boxplot in SPSS: Steps

Watch the video to see how to make a boxplot in SPSS using the Chart Builder or read the steps
below for a slightly different way to make a boxplot in SPSS, by using the legacy dialog.

Step 1: Open an existing worksheet with your data or type your data into a new worksheet.

Step 2: Click “Graphs,” then click “Legacy Dialogs” and then click “Boxplot.”

Step 3: Click the type of chart you want to display, either Simple or Clustered, then click a radio
button for either summaries of groups or separate variables.

Step 4: Click “Define” to open the “Define Simple Boxplot” dialog box.

Step 5: Click a variable in the left window that you want to see medians or IQRs for. This is the
analytical variable, the one that will be displayed on the y-axis. Click the top arrow to move the
variable to the “Variable” window.

Step 6: Click a second variable in the left window that you want to display on the x-axis (the
categorical variable), then click the second arrow down, to the left of Category Axis.
Step 7: Click “OK” to display the boxplot.

Minitab

Thanks to Minitab’s easy-to-use graph creation software, you can make a box plot in Minitab in
a couple of clicks. Watch this video on how to make a box plot in Minitab, or you can follow the
steps below.

Step 1: Type your data into columns in a Minitab worksheet. Typically, you’ll want to type in
two columns of data, one categorical and one quantitative (numerical).

Step 2: Click “Graph” on the toolbar and then click “Boxplot.”

Step 3: Choose a type of boxplot. If your data is in the form of column of quantitative data and
one column of categorical variables (the most common scenario) then choose “One y” “With
groups”.

Step 4: Click a variable name for your quantitative/numerical data and then click “Select” to
move the item to the Graph Variables box.

Step 5: Click a variable name for your categorical data and then click “Select” to move that item
to the Categorical Variables box.

Step 4: Click “OK” to create a boxplot.

That’s it!

Tips: Mouse over one of the boxes to display a window showing the median, Q1, Q3 and the
IQR. You can also click on a number to bring up the Edit Scale box to specify labels, scales and
other attributes for the boxplot.

Types of Graphs: Frequency Distributions

A frequency chart.

Although technically not what most people would call a graph, it is a basic way to show how
data is spread out.

What is a Frequency Distribution Table?

Frequency tells you how often something happened. The frequency of an observation tells you
the number of times the observation occurs in the data. For example, in the following list of
numbers, the frequency of the number 9 is 5 (because it occurs 5 times):

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 9, 8, 5, 1, 1, 9, 9, 0, 6, 9.

Tables can show either categorical variables (sometimes called qualitative variables)
or quantitative variables(sometimes called numeric variables). You can think of categorical
variables as categories (like eye color or brand of dog food) and quantitative variables as
numbers.

The following table shows what family planning methods were used by teens in Kweneng, West
Botswana. The left column shows the categorical variable (Method) and the right column is
the frequency — the number of teens using that particular method (image courtesy of KSU).

A frequency distribution table showing categorical variables.

Frequency distribution tables give you a snapshot of the data to allow you to find patterns. A
quick look at the above frequency distribution table tells you the majority of teens don’t use
any birth control at all.

How to make a Frequency Distribution Table: Examples

Example 1

Tally marks are often used to make a frequency distribution table. For example, let’s say you
survey a number of households and find out how many pets they own. The results are 3, 0, 1, 4,
4, 1, 2, 0, 2, 2, 0, 2, 0, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3. Looking at that string of numbers boggles the eye; a
frequency distribution table will make the data easier to understand.

Steps
To make the frequency distribution table, first write the categories in one column (number of
pets):

Next, tally the numbers in each category (from the results above). For example, the number
zero appears four times in the list, so put four tally marks “||||”:

Finally, count up the tally marks and write the frequency in the final column. The frequency is
just the total. You have four tally marks for “0”, so put 4 in the last column:

Example 2

How to Draw a Frequency Distribution Table (Slightly More Complicated Example)

A frequency distribution table is one way you can organize data so that it makes more sense.
For example, let’s say you have a list of IQ scores for a gifted classroom in a particular
elementary school. The IQ scores are: 118, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 130, 133, 136,
138, 141, 142, 149, 150, 154. That list doesn’t tell you much about anything. You could draw
a frequency distribution table, which will give a better picture of your data than a simple list.

How to Draw a Frequency Distribution Table: Steps.

Part 1: Choosing Classes

Step 1: Figure out how many classes (categories) you need. There are no hard rules about how
many classes to pick, but there are a couple of general guidelines:

Pick between 5 and 20 classes. For the list of IQs above, we picked 5 classes.

Make sure you have a few items in each category. For example, if you have 20 items, choose 5
classes (4 items per category), not 20 classes (which would give you only 1 item per category).

Note: There is a more mathematical way to choose classes. The formula is log(observations)\
log(2). You would round up the answer to the next integer. For example, log17\log2 = 4.1 will
be rounded up to become 5. (Thank you to Ayman Masry for that tip).

Part 2: Sorting the Data

Step 2: Subtract the minimum data value from the maximum data value. For example, our IQ
list above had a minimum value of 118 and a maximum value of 154, so:
154 – 118 = 36

Step 3: Divide your answer in Step 2 by the number of classes you chose in Step 1.
36 / 5 = 7.2

Step 4: Round the number from Step 3 up to a whole number to get the class width. Rounded
up, 7.2 becomes 8.

Step 5: Write down your lowest value for your first minimum data value:
The lowest value is 118

Step 6: Add the class width from Step 4 to Step 5 to get the next lower class limit:
118 + 8 = 126

Step 7: Repeat Step 6 for the other minimum data values (in other words, keep on adding your
class width to your minimum data values) until you have created the number of classes you
chose in Step 1. We chose 5 classes, so our 5 minimum data values are:
118
126 (118 + 8)
134 (126 + 8)
142 (134 + 8)
150 (142 + 8)
Step 8: Write down the upper class limits. These are the highest values that can be in the
category, so in most cases you can subtract 1 from the class width and add that to the
minimum data value. For example:
118 + (8 – 1) = 125
118 – 125
126 – 133
134 – 141
142 – 149
150 – 157

3. Finishing the Table Up

Step 9: Add a second column for the number of items in each class, and label the columns with
appropriate headings:

IQ NUMBER

118-125

126-133

134-141

142-149

150-157

Step 10: Count the number of items in each class, and put the total in the second column. The
list of IQ scores are: 118, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 130, 133, 136, 138, 141, 142, 149,
150, 154.

IQ NUMBER

118-125 4

126-133 6
134-141 3

142-149 2

150-157 2

That’s How to Draw a Frequency Distribution Table, the easy way!

Tip: If you are working with large numbers (like hundreds or thousands), round Step 4 up to a
large whole number that’s easy to make into classes, like 100, 1000, or 10,000. Likewise with
very small numbers — you may want to round to 0.1, 0.001 or a similar division.

Cumulative Frequency Table

Technically, a cumulative frequency distribution is the sum of the class and all classes below it
in a frequency distribution. All that means is you’re adding up a value and all of the values that
came before it. Here’s a simple example: You get paid $250 for a week of work. The second
week you get paid $300 and the third week, $350. Your cumulative amount for week 2 is $550
($300 for week 2 and $250 for week 1). Your cumulative amount for week 3is $900 ($350 for
week 3, $300 for week 2 and $250 for week 1). Cumulative frequency distributions can be
summarized in a table.
This table shows the frequency of hair colors for a population sample. If you add up all of the
frequencies for the ?, you get a total of 41:
15 + 10 + 16 = 41.

What is a Cumulative Frequency Distribution used for?

Why would you want to use a cumulative frequency distribution? There are a couple of main
reasons:

You want to check that your math is correct. By adding up all of the numbers and comparing it
to your sample size, you know you’ve included all your data. For example if your sample size
was 44 in this case, you’d know by the cumulative frequency distribution that you’re missing
one piece of data.

You’re interested in studying a population to find out a “more” or “less” question. For example,
you’re thinking of opening a bargain grocery store and you want to know how many people in a
particular geographic area spend up to $6000 per person per year in groceries. Your table might
look like this:

The right column will tell you that 614 people spend up to 6000 per year. It includes everyone
who spends up to $6000.

A cumulative frequency doesn’t have to just include everything less than something. In the
above table, you could also start the cumulative distribution from the bottom. Let’s say you
were the manager of a premium grocery store and you wanted to know how many people
spend more than $5001 in groceries. Your cumulative distribution would look like this:
This tells you that 394 people spend more than that amount per year.

Although it’s usual to make tables for cumulative data, line graphs can also be used, like this
cumulative frequency polygon:

Image: NPS.gov.

How to Make a Cumulative Frequency Distribution Table

In elementary statistics, you might be given a histogram and asked to determine the cumulative
frequency distribution. Or, you might be given a frequency distribution table and asked to find
the cumulative frequency. The method for both is the same, and the answer can be found in a
couple of easy steps.

Cumulative Frequency Distribution Table: Steps

Sample question: Build a cumulative frequency distribution table for the following classes.
Step 1: If you have a histogram, go to step 2. If you have a frequency distribution table (or
both), go to Step 3.

Step 2: Build a frequency distribution table, like the one to the right of the histogram above.
Label column 1 with your class limits. In column 2, count the number of items in each class and
fill the columns in as shown above. To fill in the columns, count how many items are in each
class, using the histogram.

Step 3:Label a new column in your frequency distribution table “Cumulative frequency” and
compute the first two entries. The first entry will be the same as the first entry in the frequency
column. The second entry will be the sum of the first two entries in the frequency column
(highlighted in red).

Step 4: Fill in the rest of the cumulative frequency column. The third entry will be the sum of
the first three entries in the frequency column, the fourth will be the sum of the first four
entries in the frequency column etc.
TI-89 Frequency Distribution: Cumulative Frequency Table Steps

Note that you must have the Stats/List Editor installed to be able to make a TI-89 frequency
distribution using these instructions.

Sample question: Build a cumulative frequency table for the following classes.

Step 1: Press APPS and scroll to Stats/List Editor. Press ENTER.

Step 2: Press F1 8 to clear any data in the editor.

Step 3: Name your first column “L1” by entering ALPHA 4 1.

Step 4: Enter your values into L1, following each number by an Enter key:
1 ENTER
2 ENTER
4 ENTER
0 ENTER
3 ENTER
5 ENTER
6 ENTER

Step 5: Move your cursor to on the header for column 2 (the column header will be
highlighted). Press ALPHA 4 2 to name the column “L2.” Press ENTER. Use the up arrow to
highlight the column header (L2).

Step 6: Press F3 2 6 to get the cumsum( function.

Step 7: Enter “L1” into the cumsum function by pressing ALPHA 4 1. Press the ) key then press
ENTER.

Step 8: The list of cumulative frequencies for each value in L1 are returned in L2: 1, 3, 7, 7, 10,
15.
That’s it!

Tip: it doesn’t matter what the columns are called or headed. Just make sure you paste the
header for column into the cumsum( function.

TI 83 Cumulative Frequency Table: Overview

Sample problem: Construct a cumulative frequency table for the grades of school children in
Rock Hill elementary school (grades k-5). The grades are A (90+), B (80+), C (70+), and D (60+).
The numbers of students achieving those grades are: A (20), B (21) C (52) and D (29).

Step 1: Enter the data list L1. Press the STAT button and then press ENTER. Enter the first
column value (in our example, that’s 90), and then press ENTER. Continue entering numbers,
pressing the ENTER button after each entry.

Step 2: Scroll to the right to list L2. Enter the next column’s values (20, 21, 52, and 29). Make
sure you press ENTER after each value.

Step 3: Scroll to the right and up to highlight L3.

Step 4: Press 2nd STAT to reach the “LIST” menu.

Step 5:Scroll to the right to highlight “OPS” then press 6 for “cumSum.”

Step 6:Press 2nd 2 to get “L2,” then press ).

Step 7: Press ENTER. The TI 83 will sum the cumulative data in the L2 column and replace the
results in L3, giving you a cumulative distribution table.
Tip: To clear the data from a list, place the cursor on the list name (for example, L1), press
CLEAR, and then ENTER.

Frequency Polygon

Frequency tells you how often something happened. The frequency of an observation tells you
the number of times the observation occurs in the data. For example, in the following list of
numbers, the frequency of the number 9 is 5 (because it occurs 5 times):

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 9, 8, 5, 1, 1, 9, 9, 0, 6, 9.

Tables can show either categorical variables (sometimes called qualitative variables)
or quantitative variables(sometimes called numeric variables). You can think of categorical
variables as categories (like eye color or brand of dog food) and quantitative variables as
numbers.

If you aren’t quite sure of the difference, see: Qualitative or quantitative? How to tell.

The following table shows what family planning methods were used by teens in Kweneng, West
Botswana. The left column shows the categorical variable (Method) and the right column is
the frequency — the number of teens using that particular method (image courtesy of KSU).
A frequency distribution table showing categorical variables.

Frequency distribution tables give you a snapshot of the data to allow you to find patterns. A
quick look at the above frequency distribution table tells you the majority of teens don’t use
any birth control at all.

Example 1

Tally marks are often used to make a frequency distribution table. For example, let’s say you
survey a number of households and find out how many pets they own. The results are 3, 0, 1, 4,
4, 1, 2, 0, 2, 2, 0, 2, 0, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3. Looking at that string of numbers boggles the eye; a
frequency distribution table will make the data easier to understand.

Steps

To make the frequency distribution table, first write the categories in one column (number of
pets):
Next, tally the numbers in each category (from the results above). For example, the number
zero appears four times in the list, so put four tally marks “||||”:

Finally, count up the tally marks and write the frequency in the final column. The frequency is
just the total. You have four tally marks for “0”, so put 4 in the last column:

Example 2

How to Draw a Frequency Distribution Table (Slightly More Complicated Example)

A frequency distribution table is one way you can organize data so that it makes more sense.
For example, let’s say you have a list of IQ scores for a gifted classroom in a particular
elementary school. The IQ scores are: 118, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 130, 133, 136,
138, 141, 142, 149, 150, 154. That list doesn’t tell you much about anything. You could draw
a frequency distribution table, which will give a better picture of your data than a simple list.

How to Draw a Frequency Distribution Table: Steps.

Part 1: Choosing Classes

Step 1: Figure out how many classes (categories) you need. There are no hard rules about how
many classes to pick, but there are a couple of general guidelines:

Pick between 5 and 20 classes. For the list of IQs above, we picked 5 classes.

Make sure you have a few items in each category. For example, if you have 20 items, choose 5
classes (4 items per category), not 20 classes (which would give you only 1 item per category).
Note: There is a more mathematical way to choose classes. The formula is log(observations)\
log(2). You would round up the answer to the next integer. For example, log17\log2 = 4.1 will
be rounded up to become 5. (Thank you to Ayman Masry for that tip).

Part 2: Sorting the Data

Step 2: Subtract the minimum data value from the maximum data value. For example, our IQ
list above had a minimum value of 118 and a maximum value of 154, so:
154 – 118 = 36

Step 3: Divide your answer in Step 2 by the number of classes you chose in Step 1.
36 / 5 = 7.2

Step 4: Round the number from Step 3 up to a whole number to get the class width. Rounded
up, 7.2 becomes 8.

Step 5: Write down your lowest value for your first minimum data value:
The lowest value is 118

Step 6: Add the class width from Step 4 to Step 5 to get the next lower class limit:
118 + 8 = 126

Step 7: Repeat Step 6 for the other minimum data values (in other words, keep on adding your
class width to your minimum data values) until you have created the number of classes you
chose in Step 1. We chose 5 classes, so our 5 minimum data values are:
118
126 (118 + 8)
134 (126 + 8)
142 (134 + 8)
150 (142 + 8)

Step 8: Write down the upper class limits. These are the highest values that can be in the
category, so in most cases you can subtract 1 from the class width and add that to the
minimum data value. For example:
118 + (8 – 1) = 125
118 – 125
126 – 133
134 – 141
142 – 149
150 – 157
3. Finishing the Table Up

Step 9: Add a second column for the number of items in each class, and label the columns with
appropriate headings:

IQ NUMBER

118-125

126-133

134-141

142-149

150-157

Step 10: Count the number of items in each class, and put the total in the second column. The
list of IQ scores are: 118, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 130, 133, 136, 138, 141, 142, 149,
150, 154.

IQ NUMBER

118-125 4

126-133 6

134-141 3

142-149 2

150-157 2

That’s How to Draw a Frequency Distribution Table, the easy way!

Tip: If you are working with large numbers (like hundreds or thousands), round Step 4 up to a
large whole number that’s easy to make into classes, like 100, 1000, or 10,000. Likewise with
very small numbers — you may want to round to 0.1, 0.001 or a similar division.

Types of Graphs: Histogram

A relative frequency histogram shows relative frequencies.

See: Relative Frequency Histogram.

Types of Graphs: Line Graphs

This graph of -4 5x+3.

A graph that shows a line; usually with an equation. Can be straight or curved lines.
See: Line Graph

Timeplot
A Dow Jones Timeplot from the Wall Street Journal shows how the stock market changes over
time.

A time plot is similar to a line graph. However, it always plots time on the x-axis.
See: Timeplot.

Types of Graphs: Pie Graphs

Pie chart showing water consumption. Image courtesy of EPA.

As the name suggested, these types of graph look like pies.

See: Pie Chart: What is it used for?

Types of Graphs: Scatter Graphs

A scatter plot.

These charts use dots to plot data points. the dots are “scattered” across the page.
See: Scatter plot.

Types of Graphs: Stemplots

Stemplots help you to visualize all of the individual elements of a data set.