You are on page 1of 1

Frequency Distribution with Decimals

Here's an example showing how to set up a frequency distribution when the data include decimals:

19.55
20.75
21.28
22.02
22.51
22.55
23.75
24.03
24.24
25.17
25.19
25.7
25.91
26.13
26.13
26.32
26.33
27.01
27.13
27.55
27.57
27.79
28.17
30.46.
30.91

These values were each obtained by taking the average of 25 values randomly chosen between 0 and 50
(i.e., 625 random numbers were used).

Divide the range by the number of classes (let's use 5 in this case):
(30.91 – 19.55) / 5 = 2.272
So the class width is 2.28 (round up to the next value, in hundredths).
Here's the frequency distribution. I have also included the class boundaries, needed for the histogram, and
the midpoints. The boundaries and midpoints should not be rounded off. These midpoints work out to a
value in the hundredths; sometimes you need thousandths.

Class Limits Frequency Class Boundaries Midpoint


19.55–21.82 3 19.545–21.825 20.685
21.83–24.10 5 21.825–24.105 22.965
24.11–26.38 9 24.105–26.385 25.245
26.39–28.66 6 26.385–28.665 27.525
28.67–30.94 2 28.665–30.945 29.805

You might also like