Descriptive Statistics

Larson/Farber Ch 2 1
2
Frequency Distributions

!A frequency distribution is an organized

tabulation showing exactly how many
individuals are located in each category on the
scale of measurement. A frequency
distribution presents an organized picture of
the entire set of values, and it shows where
each individual is located relative to others in
the distribution.

Larson/Farber Ch 2
3
Frequency Distribution Tables

! A frequency distribution table consists of at least

two columns - one listing categories on the scale of
measurement (X) and another for frequency (f).
! In the X column, values are listed from the highest to
lowest or vice-versa, without skipping any.
! For the frequency column, tallies are determined for
each value (how often each X value occurs in the data
set). These tallies are the frequencies for each X
value.
! The sum of the frequencies should equal n.

Larson/Farber Ch 2
4
Regular Frequency Distribution

!When a frequency distribution table lists all of

the individual categories (X values) it is called
a regular frequency distribution.
!Example: Age Frequency
18 1
19 1
20 3
23 3
25 2
Total 10

Larson/Farber Ch 2
5
Grouped Frequency Distribution

!Sometimes, however, a set of scores covers a

wide range of values. In these situations, a list
of all the X values would be quite long - too
long to be a “simple” presentation of the data.
!To remedy this situation, a grouped
frequency distribution table is used.

Larson/Farber Ch 2
6
Grouped Frequency Distribution (cont.)

! In a grouped frequency
distribution table, the X Example:
column lists groups of Scores Tally Frequency
scores, called class 41 - 49 lll 3
intervals, rather than 50 - 58 llll - l 6
individual values. 59 - 67 llll 5
! These intervals all have 68 - 76 llll - l 6
the same width, usually a 77 - 85 llll 5
simple number such as 2, Total 25
5, 10, and so on.

Larson/Farber Ch 2
7
Frequency Distribution Graphs

!In a frequency distribution graph, the score

categories (X values) are listed on the X axis
and the frequencies are listed on the Y axis.
!When the score categories consist of numerical
scores from an interval or ratio scale, the graph
should be either a histogram or a frequency
polygon.

Larson/Farber Ch 2
 Steps to Construct a (Grouped) Frequency Distribution
1. Choose the number of classes (K), K=1+3.322 log(n)
Should be between 5 and 15. Sturges’Rule/Formula

2. Calculate the Class Width

Find the range = maximum value – minimum. Then divide
this by the number of classes. Finally, round up to a
convenient number
3. Determine Class Limits
The lower class limit is the lowest data value that belongs in a
class and the upper class limit is the highest. Use the
minimum value as the lower class limit in the first class.
4. Mark a tally | in appropriate class for each data value.
After all data values are tallied, count the tallies in each class
for the class
Larson/Farber Ch 2 frequencies. 8
Example: Frequency Distribution
Minutes Spent on the Phone
102 124 108 86 103 82
71 104 112 118 87 95
103 116 85 122 87 100
105 97 107 67 78 125
109 99 105 99 101 92
Make a frequency distribution table with five classes.

Key values: Minimum value = 67

Maximum value = 125
Larson/Farber Ch 2 9
 Steps to Construct a Frequency Distribution
1. Choose the number of classes (K), K=1+3.322 log(30)
K = 5.9 (Either round up, or round down. For this problem, we use 5.)
2. Calculate the Class Width: Range/K
Find the range = maximum value – minimum. Then divide
this by the number of classes. Finally, round off to a
convenient number. (125 - 67) / 5 = 11.6 Round up to 12
3. Determine Class Limits
The lower class limit is the lowest data value that belongs in a
class and the upper class limit is the highest. Use the
minimum value as the lower class limit in the first class. (67)
4. Mark a tally | in appropriate class for each data value.
After all data values are tallied, count the tallies in each class
for the class
Larson/Farber Ch 2 frequencies. 10
 Construct a Frequency Distribution
Minimum = 67, Maximum = 125
Number of classes = 5
Class width = 12

Class Limits Tally f

67 78 3

79 90 5

91 102 8

103 114 9

115 126 5
Do all lower class limits first. åf =30
Larson/Farber Ch 2 11
 Frequency Histogram
Class f Boundaries
67 – 78 3 66.5 - 78.5

79 - 90 5 78.5 - 90.5
91 - 102 8 90.5 - 102.5 Time on Phone
9
9

103 -114 9 102.5 -114.5 8

8

115 -126 5 114.5 -126.5 6

5 5
5
f 4
3
3
2
1
0
66.5 78.5 90.5 102.5 114.5 126.5
minutes
Larson/Farber Ch 2 12
 Frequency Polygon
Class f
Time on Phone
67 - 78 3 9
9
8
79 - 90 5 8
7

91 - 102 8 6
f 5
5 5

103 -114 9 4
3
3
115 -126 5 2
1
0

72.5 84.5 96.5 108.5 120.5

minutes
Mark the midpoint at the top of each bar. Connect consecutive
midpoints. Extend the frequency polygon to the axis.
Larson/Farber Ch 2 13
 Other Information
Midpoint: (lower limit + upper limit) / 2
Relative frequency: class frequency/total frequency
Cumulative frequency: Number of values in that class or in lower.

Class Midpoint Relative Cumulative

f frequency
Frequency

67 - 78 3 72.5 0.10 3
79 - 90 5 84.5 0.17 8
91 - 102 8 96.5 0.27 16
103 -114 9 108.5 0.30 25
115 -126 5 120.5 0.17 30
Larson/Farber Ch 2 14