GCSE

Histograms

Objectives: To understand why a histogram is useful for displaying

data, and how to both draw and interpret a histogram.
 Age (years) Frequency Let’s presume that within each age group, the
ages are evenly spread.
15 ≤ a < 20 15 Then there would ? 3 people of each age in
20 ≤ a < 50 15 the 15-20 group, and 0.5? people of each
age in the 20-50 group.

Click to Start
3 Bromanimation
Estimated Frequency
Frequency Density

The resulting diagram is known as a histogram.

The ‘frequency per age’ is known as the ‘frequency density’.
2 In general, given the frequency and class width, we can
calculate it using:
Frequency
Class ?
Frequency Density =
Width
1

10 20 30 40 50
Age
 Bar Charts vs Histograms

Bar Charts Histograms

? data.
• For discrete ? data.
• For continuous
• Frequency given by • Data divided into (potentially
? of bars.
height uneven) intervals.
? of
• Frequency given by area
bars.

Frequency Density
Frequency

6 7 8 9 1.0m 1.2m 1.4m 1.6m 1.8m

Shoe Size Height
Examples

1 Weight (w kg) Frequency Frequency Density

0 < w ≤ 10 40 4
?
6 1.2
10 < w ≤ 15
? Freq
15 < w ≤ 35 52 ? 2.6
35 < w ≤ 45 10 ? 1 F.D. Width

2 Frequency = 40?
5 Frequency = 15?
Frequency = 25?
Frequency Density

3
?
Frequency = 30

10 20 30 40 50
Height (m)
 Always start by adding a
3 Frequency Density Frequency Density column

?
30  30 = 1
Bro Tip: For this kind of question,
?
84 ? graph)
4.2 (using first find a ‘complete’ set of
?
60 6 (using?graph) information: i.e. for the first row in
this question, we have the
40  20 ?=2 frequency and the drawn bar, so
18  30 ?= 0.6 can work out the F.D. scale.

8
7
6
5

4
3
2

1
Test Your Understanding (on your sheet)

FD
3.8
4.8
?
4.2 Bro Hint: The second row has a
?
31 3.1 ‘complete’ set of information (bar and
frequency)
0.8
 Quickfire Questions – Determining F.D. scale
Work out the scales on the frequency density axis.

4 16 2
Frequency Density

Frequency Density
Frequency Density
3 12
?2 ?
8 ?1
1 4

0 10 20 0 10 20 20 28 36
Height (m) Height (m) Height (m)
Frequency Frequency Frequency
Questions

Provided collection of past GCSE questions.

(Answers on next slides)
Question 1

FD
3.2
2
12
?
6
?
1.2
0.6
0.4

4.0

3.2

2.4

1.6

0.8
Question 2

FD
0.8
1
1.6
2 ?
1.2

2.0

1.5

1.0 ?
0.5
Question 3
FD
3
5
?
3.6
1.2
(b) Work out an estimate for
the number of cars with a
speed of more than 85 km/h.
5
Note that 85 to 100 is three-
4 quarters of the 80 to 100 interval.
Thus we can estimate we’ll have
?
of the 24 drivers in this group.
3

1
Question 4

FD
?
30 1
3.5
?
60 3 ?
1.5
0.5
Question 5

?
24

?
30
Harder Histogram Questions

However, there’s nothing

stopping you using the same
3 approach as before: working out
the frequency density axis from
a ‘complete’ set of information
2 (i.e. where we have the
frequency AND the bar).

1
So finding area between 110cm and
130cm (as area = frequency)
?
Harder Histogram Questions

We previously saw that the area

gives us frequency. If we don’t have
the frequency density axis, we
could use the idea that area and
frequency are in proportion to
each other.

One strategy: Since area

represents frequency, find out
how many people each square is
worth.

130cm-135cm  20 squares
Each square worth: children
?
110-130cm  70 squares
children

If each square is 0.5 children, we

need 12Click to show?
squares.
Test Your Understanding (use either method)
a (If using square count method,
perhaps count big squares
rather than little squares.)

18 big squares 9 students

So 1 square = 0.5 students

Total squares = 30
15 students ?

OR: F.D. =
Then use areas of bars.

b 24 (big) squares required

(We can have 4 rows of 5 to get
first 20 squares, but have to split
the last 4 squares across 5, thus
?
use of a square for each square at
top)
This is quite a clumsy method, so
the frequency density approach
would probably be easier here.
Proportion Histogram Questions
Bro Tip: I recommend writing the area of each bar on the bar itself, as you’ll likely have to use some areas twice.

Solution:
Total apples:
(40 x 0.12) + (20 x 0.36) + (20 x
0.7) + (20 x 0.56) + (40 x 0.18) =
44.4

Apples in range?140-160g:
(20 x 0.36) + (20 x 0.7) + (20 x
0.56) = 32.4

Proportion =
 Proportion Histogram Questions—missing f.d

a If we use 1,2,3,… on
frequency density scale:
Total area
Bro Tip: If
the Area between 25 and 40
frequency mins:
density ?
scale is Percentage:
missing,
you can set
it to what
you like for
this kind of
question. b of area is between
10-15 mins.
?
Questions

Provided collection of past GCSE questions.

Solutions – Question 1

60

50 Answer:

40 ?

30

20

10
Solutions – Question 2
The histogram shows information about the lifetime of some batteries.

14
12 Total batteries
Frequency
density10

8
batteries
?
6
4
2

1 .5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4 4 .5 5

Two of the batteries had a lifetime of between 1.5 and 2.5 years. Find the total number of batteries.
Solutions – Question 3

FD
16
4
2.4
4.8

Frequency Density
16
40 12
60 8
?
56 4
0
32

B1 for Frequency density label or

appropriate units
?
B2 for 4 correct histogram bars sq
(B1 for 2 bars correct)
Solutions – Question 4

0.05
8
6? 0.04

0.03

Bro Tip: For this kind of question,

?
first find a ‘complete’ set of 0.02
information: i.e. for the first row in
this question, we have the
frequency and the drawn bar, so 0.01
can work out the F.D. scale.