The Frequency Distribution Table

What is a frequency distribution table?

A frequency distribution table is a chart that summarizes values and their frequency.

What are the parts of a FDT?

Classes – groups or categories

Class frequency (f) - the number of observations that occur in a particular interval

Class limit - class limits represent the smallest and largest data values that can belong to each class.
They are called the lower class limit and the upper class limit respectively.

Class interval - Class interval refers to the numerical width of any class in a particular distribution.
Mathematically it is defined as the difference between the upper-class limit and the lower class limit

Class width or class size - Class width or class size refers to the difference between the upper and lower
boundaries of any class (category).

Class boundary- The class boundary is the number or value that is used to separate two different
classes. It is the midpoint between the upper class limit of a class and the lower class limit of the next
class.

Class mark (x) - the average of the upper limit and the lower limit of a class in a frequency distribution.
In other words, the class mark is the mid-value of the given class interval. This is otherwise known as the
class center (x)

Cumulative frequency - the total of frequencies, that are distributed over different class intervals. It is
the 'running total' of frequencies.

-a cumulative frequency distribution is the sum of the frequencies of the class and all classes
below it
How to construct a frequency distribution table (FDT)

1. Find the range.

Range = Highest value – Lowest value

2. Determine the number of classes

Number of classes = √ n

*round up

3. Find the class width

Range Range
Class width = =
number of classes √n

4. Establish the lower limit of all the classes

a. Start with the lowest score/value as the lower limit of the lowest class

b. Add the class width to get the lower limit of the next class and so on

5. Determine the upper limit of the classes

a. Subtract 1 (or 0.1, depending on the significant units) from the lower limit of the
next class to get the upper limit of the previous class.

b. Add the class width to get the upper limit of the succeeding classes.

6. Tally all the observed values in each class interval

7. Sum the frequency column and check the total number of observations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcU_hApd-j0

How to construct a grouped frequency distribution by Joshua French

Supplement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ftiC2o6O4

How To Construct a Frequency Distribution Table by Ann Defranco

Exercise:

1. Below are scores obtained by 20 students during the First Grading Examination in Math in the Modern
World. Make a frequency distribution table using the steps discussed above.
 56 66 55 58

50 62 74 72

60 70 78 54

72 56 69 64

52 58 48 80

2. Below are the number of patients who visited the Out-patient Department of the Baguio General
Hospital each day of the month of November 2019. Construct a frequency distribution table using the
steps above.

37 26 76 65 83 78 59 85 84 43

77 66 62 58 60 63 72 86 78 75

45 73 63 78 54 70 53 62 74 91