Frequency distribution
term in statistics / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In statistics, a frequency distribution is a list of the values that a variable takes in a sample. It is usually a list, ordered by quantity. It will show the number of times each value appears. For example, if 100 people rate a five-point Likert scale assessing their agreement with a statement on a scale on which 1 denotes strong agreement and 5 strong disagreement, the frequency distribution of their responses might look like:
Rank | Degree of agreement | Number |
---|---|---|
1 | Strongly agree | 25 |
2 | Agree somewhat | 35 |
3 | Not sure | 20 |
4 | Disagree somewhat | 15 |
5 | Strongly disagree | 5 |
This simple table has two drawbacks. When a variable can take continuous values instead of discrete values or when the number of possible values is too large, the table construction is difficult, if it is not impossible. A slightly different scheme based on the range of values is used in such cases. For example, if we consider the heights of the students in a class, the frequency table might look like below.
Height range | Number of students | Cumulative number |
---|---|---|
4.5–5.0 feet | 25 | 25 |
5.0–5.5 feet | 35 | 60 |
5.5–6 feet | 20 | 80 |
6.0–6.5 feet | 20 | 100 |