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Chapter 3: Statistical Data Analysis

Cumulative Frequency Diagram

Objectives: Be able to
*Construct and interpret a cumulative
frequency diagram.
*Use a cumulative frequency diagram to
estimate the median and interquartile range.
 Cumulative Frequency

A cumulative frequency diagram is a graph that can be used to

find estimates of the median and upper and lower quartiles of
grouped data.

The median is the middle value when the data has been
placed in order of size

The lower quartile is the ‘median’ of the bottom half of the

data set and represents the value ¼ of the way through the
data.
The upper quartile is the ‘median’ of the top half of the data
set and represents the value ¾ of the way through the data.
 Cumulative Frequency

A pet shop owner weighs his mice every week to check their health.
The weights of the 80 mice are shown below:

weight (g) Frequency Cumulative

(f) Frequency
0 < w ≤ 10 3   3
10 < w ≤ 20 5   8
20 < w ≤ 30 5   13
30 < w ≤ 40 9   22
40 < w ≤ 50 11   33
50 < w ≤ 60 15   48
60 < w ≤ 70 14   62
70 < w ≤ 80 8   70
80 < w ≤ 90 6   76
90 < w ≤100 4   80

Cumulative means adding up, so a cumulative frequency diagram requires a running

total of the frequency.
 Cumulative Frequency

80 x
Weight (g) Frequency Cumulative x
(f) Frequency 70 x
0 < w ≤ 10 3   3
x
10 < w ≤ 20 5   8 60

Cumulative frequency
20 < w ≤ 30 5   13
30 < w ≤ 40 9   22 50 x
40 < w ≤ 50 11   33
40
50 < w ≤ 60 15   48
60 < w ≤ 70 14 x
  62 30
70 < w ≤ 80 8   70
80 < w ≤ 90 6 76 20
x
 
90 < w ≤100 4   80 x
10 x
x
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Weight (g)
The The
pointcumulative
are now joined with straight
frequency (c.f.) canlines
now be plotted on a graph
taking
The line carestarts
always to plot
at the
the c.f. at the end of each class interval.
bottom of the first class interval
This
Theisresulting
because graph
we don’t know
should where
look in the
like this class
and interval called an
is sometimes
0 ‘S’
< wcurve.
≤ 10, the values are, but we do know that by the end of
the class interval there are 3 pieces of data
 Cumulative Frequency

From this graph we can now find estimates of the median, and
upper and lower quartiles
Upper quartile
There are 80 pieces of data 80 x
x
Themiddle
The lower quartile is the 20th
is the 40th x
70
piece of data ¼ of the total
x
pieces of data 60

Cumulative frequency
50 x
The upper quartile is the 60th
Median
piece of data ¾ of the position
total 40
pieces of data Read across, then x
30
Down to find the
Lower quartile x
median weight 20
x
10 x
x
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Lower quartile is 38g Weight (g)

Median weight is 54g

Upper quartile is 68g
 Cumulative Frequency

The upper and lower quartiles can now be used to find what is called
The interquartile range and is found by:

Upper quartile – Lower quartile

In this example: Lower quartile is 38g Upper quartile is 68g

The interquartile range (IQR) = 68 – 38 = 30g

Because this has been found by the top ¾ subtract the bottom ¼

½ of the data (50%) is contained within these values

So we can also say from this that half the mice weigh between 38g and 68g
 Cumulative Frequency

In an international competition 60 children from Britain and France did the same Maths
test. The results are in the table below:

Britain Britain France France

Marks Frequency c.f. Frequency c.f
1-5 1   2  
6 - 10 2   5  
11 - 15 4   11  
16 - 20 8   16  
21 - 25 16   10  
26 - 30 19   8  
31 - 35 10   8  

Using the same axes draw the cumulative frequency diagram for each country.
Find the median mark and the upper and lower quartiles for both
countries and the interquartile range.

Make a short comment comparing the two countries

 Cumulative Frequency

Britain Britain France France Both have 60 pieces of data

Marks Frequency c.f. Frequency c.f
1-5 1   1 2   2 Median position is 30
6 - 10 2   3 5   7
11 - 15 4   7 11   18 Lower quartile position is 15
16 - 20 8   15 16   34
21 - 25 16   31 10   44 Upper quartile position is 45
26 - 30 19   50 8   52
31 - 35 10   60 8   60

Britain 60 x
France xx
50
Cumulative frequency

x France
Britain 40
x
LQ = 20 30 x LQ = 13.5
Median = 25 Median = 19
20 x
x UQ = 26
UQ = 29 10
x x
IQR = 9 xx x IQR = 12.5
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Marks
The scores in Britain are higher with less variation
 Time (s) Frequency Cum Freq Cumulative Frequency Graphs
9.6 < t ≤ 9.7 1 1 Plot This graph tells us how
9.7 < t ≤ 9.9 4 5 Plot many people had “this
9.9 < t ≤ 10.05 10 15 Plot value or less”.
32 10.05 < t ≤ 10.2 17 32 Plot
28 ?
Median = 10.07s
Cumulative Frequency

24
Lower Quartile
20 ?
= 9.95s
16
Upper Quartile
12 = 10.13s
?

8
Interquartile Range
4 = 0.18s
?

0
9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3
Time (s)
 A Cumulative Frequency Graph is very useful for finding the number
of values greater/smaller than some value, or within a range. Cumulative Frequency Graphs

Estimate how many

32 runners had a time less
than 10.15s.
28
?26 runners
Cumulative Frequency

24
Estimate how many
20 runners had a time more
than 9.95
16
32 – ?
8 = 24 runners
12
Estimate how many
8 runners had a time
between 9.8s and 10s
4
11 –?3 = 8 runners
0
9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3
Time (s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUjKmcjn6w4
 5
William

23Taka

35
Sharon

39
Elmer
40Riyu

179
Ryan
Lim34

Lower Quartile = 16Kezia

Upper Quartile = 44.5

Kevin
 Gretchen
44
100Eliz
Dennis
134
25<Jesselyn
𝐴 ≤ 35 153
David
Dave
160

30
Freya

?
40.9 −Cheryl
24.1=16.8
 Cumulative Frequency

Summary

Construct and interpret a cumulative frequency diagram

Use a cumulative frequency diagram to estimate the median and interquartile range

• Make a running total of the frequency

• Put the end points not the class interval on the x axis
• Plot the points at the end of the class interval
• Join the points with straight lines – supposedly an ‘S’ curve
****Check your graph****
• Find the median by drawing across from the middle of the
cumulative frequency axis
• Find the LQ and UQ from ¼ and ¾ up the c.f. axis