Frequency Distributions

A frequency distribution is the

organization of raw data in table
form, using classes and frequency.

A frequency distribution is a table

that shows “classes” or “intervals” of
data entries with a count of the
number of entries in each class.
• The frequency (f) of a class is the number of
data entries in the class.

• Each class will have a “lower class limit” and an

“upper class limit” which are the lowest and
highest numbers in each class.

• The “class width” is the distance between the

lower limits of consecutive classes.

• The range is the difference between the

maximum and minimum data entries.
• Steps for constructing a frequency distribution:
1. Array the data.
2. Find the Range (R)
3. Find the number of classes
4. Find the interval
5. Find the class limits: the lower and upper limits of
the classes.
6.Prepare the class interval and the class frequency
columns.
 Number of classes
It should be between 5 and 20.
Some Statisticians use “ 2k “ rule.

k 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2k 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1,024
Sturge's formula

Sturge's formula to find number of

classes is given as follows:
K = 1 + 3.322 log N.
K = No. of class
log N = Logarithm of total no. of
observations
28 27 31 30 31
33 35 34 33 32
41 39 42 36 34
44 43 43 39 37
46 44 43 44 38
49 45 46 45 42
53 50 49 47 44
54 56 51 51 48
59 57 52 52 53
Class limits Frequency
(C) (f)

57-61 2

52-56 6

47-51 7

42-46 13

37-41 5

32-36 7

27-31 5
2 to k rule
Essentially we would look to construct k
classes for our frequency distribution, when
the value of 2k first exceeds the number of
observations in our sample. So, if we had a
sample with 45 observations, we would first
consider constructing 6 classes, because 26
= 64, the first power of 2 with a value larger
than the sample size of 45.
A guide, not a dictator.
Strictly speaking the 2k rule is a guide, not a
rule. If the 2k rule suggests you need 6
classes, also consider using 5 or 7 classes
... but certainly not 3 or 9.
The following scores were the results on a 60-item test in a certain
class in statistics. Construct a grouped frequency distribution for the
data using 7 classes.
33 41 28 54 59 44 49 46 53

35 39 27 57 44 43 50 45 56

34 43 31 51 43 42 49 46 52

33 36 30 52 39 44 45 47 51

34 44 32 53 31 38 42 37 48
 Class interval or class width
H L
w
k
H : the highest value, L: the smallest value
 Class interval can also be estimated
based on # of observations
H L
w
1 3.322ln n
 Select the lower limit of the first class and
set the limits of each class
It could be L or any value smaller than L.
It should be an even multiple of the class
interval.
 There should be between 5 and 20 classes.
 The classes must be continuous.
 The classes must be exhaustive.
 The classes must be mutually exclusive.
 The classes must be equal in width.
 Relative frequency
• o Relative frequency of a class is the
frequency of that class divided by to total
number of frequency.
f
RF
n
 Example
The following scores were the results on a
60-item test in a certain class in statistics.
Construct a grouped frequency distribution for
the data using 7 classes.
33 41 28 54 59 44 49 46 53
35 39 27 57 44 43 50 45 56
34 43 31 51 43 42 49 46 52
33 36 30 52 39 44 45 47 51
34 44 32 53 31 38 42 37 48
 Relative Class Marks Class Cumulative Cumulative
Class limits Frequency frequency or Midpoint boundaries frequency frequency
(C) (f) (RF) ％ (Mpt) (CB) ≤ ≥

57-61 2 4.44 59 56.5-61.5 45 2

52-56 6 13.33 54 51.5-56.5 43 8

47-51 7 15.56 49 46.5-51.5 37 15

42-46 13 28.89 44 41.5-46.5 30 28

37-41 5 11.11 39 36.5-41.5 17 33

32-36 7 15.56 34 31.5-36.5 12 40

27-31 5 11.11 29 26.5-31.5 5 45

The ages of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence of the US
are shown below.
41 54 47 40 39 35 50 37 49 42 70 32
44 52 39 50 40 30 34 69 39 45 33 42
44 63 60 27 42 34 50 42 52 38 36 45
35 43 48 46 31 27 55 63 46 33 60 62
35 46 45 34 53 50 50
EXERCISES 2 (Cont.)
1) Construct a frequency distribution.
Include relative frequency, percentage
and Cumulative frequency.
Thank You for your attention!

Good Luck!