What is Frequency Distribution?

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A frequency distribution is an orderly arrangement of data classified according to the magnitude of the
observations. When the data are grouped into classes of appropriate size indicating the number of
observations in each class we get a frequency distribution. By forming frequency distribution, we can
summarize the data effectively. It is a method of presenting the data in a summarized form. Frequency
distribution is also known as Frequency table.

Uses: Frequency distribution helps us

1. To analyze the data.

2. To estimate the frequencies of the population on the basis of the ample.
3. To facilitate the computation of various statistical measures.
Table
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Frequency distribution table (also known as frequency table) consists of various components.

Classes: A large number of observations varying in a wide range are usually classified in several groups
according to the size of their values. Each of these groups is defined by an interval called class interval.
The class interval between 10 and 20 is defined as 10-20.

Class limits: The smallest and largest possible values in each class of a frequency distribution table are
known as class limits. For the class 10-20, the class limits are 10 and 20. 10 is called the lower class limit
and 20 is called the upper class limit.

Class limit: Class limit is the midmost value of the class interval. It is also known as the mid value.

Mid value of each classMid value of each class = (lower limit + Upper limit)2(lower limit +
Upper limit)2.
If the class is 0-10, lower limit is 0 and upper limit is 10. So the mid value is

(0+10)2(0+10)2 = 102102 = 55.

Magnitude of a class interval: The difference between the upper and lower limit of a class is called the
magnitude of a class interval.

Class frequency: The number of observation falling within a class interval is called class frequency of
that class interval.

Construct a Frequency Distribution

A frequency distribution table is one way to organize data so that it makes more sense. The data so
distributed is called frequency distribution and the tabular form is called frequency distribution table. Let
us see with the help of example how to construct distribution table.
The frequency distribution table lists all the marks and also show how many times (frequency) they
occurred.
The number which tells us how many times a particular data appears is called the frequency. For
example, 2 marks have been scored by five students which means marks 2 occurs five times. Therefore,
the frequency of score 2 is five. Similarly, the frequency of marks 5 is three because three students
scored five marks.
Relative Frequency Distribution
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A relative frequency distribution is a distribution in which relative frequencies are recorded against each
class interval. Relative frequency of a class is the frequency obtained by dividing frequency by the total
frequency. Relative frequency is the proportion of the total frequency that is in any given class interval in
the frequency distribution.

Relative Frequency Distribution Table

If the frequency of the frequency distribution table is changed into relative frequency then frequency
distribution table is called as relative frequency distribution table. For a data set consisting of n values. If f
is the frequency of a particular value then the ratio 'fnfn' is called its relative frequency.
Solved Example
Question: Find the relative frequency from the data given below:

Class interval Frequency

20-25 10
25-30 12
30-35 8
35-40 20
40-45 11
45-50 4
50-55 5

Solution:

Relative frequency distribution table for the given data.

Here n = 70

Class interval Frequency (f) Relative Cumulative Frequency (fnfn)

20-25 10 10 / 70 = 0.143
25-30 12 12 / 70 = 0.171
30-35 8 8 / 70 = 0.114
35-40 20 20 / 70 = 0.286
40-45 11 11 / 70 = 0.157
45-50 4 4 / 7 0 = 0.057
50-55 5 5 / 70 = 0.071
 Total n = 70

Cumulative Frequency Distribution

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One of the important type of frequency distribution is Cumulative frequency distribution. In cumulative
frequency distribution, the frequencies are shown in the cumulative manner. The cumulative frequency for
each class interval is the frequency for that class interval added to the preceding cumulative total.
Cumulative frequency can also defined as the sum of all previous frequencies up to the current point.

Cumulative Relative Frequency Distribution

Cumulative relative frequency distribution is one type of frequency distribution. The relative cumulative
frequency is the cumulative frequency divided by the total frequency.
Simple Frequency Distribution
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Simple frequency distribution is used to organized orderly the larger data sets. When the number of cases
being studied is large, it is inconvenient to list them separately because the list would be too long. A
simple frequency distribution shows the number of times each score occurs in a set of data. To find the
frequency for score count how many times the score occurs.
Grouped Frequency Distribution
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A grouped frequency distribution is an ordered listed of a variable XX, into groups in one column with a
listing in a second column, the frequency column. A grouped frequency distribution is an arrangement
class intervals and corresponding frequencies in a table.

There are certain rules to be remembered while constructing a grouped frequency distribution

1. The number of classes should be between 55 and 2020.

2. If possible, the magnitude of the classes must be 55 or multiple of 55.
3. Lower limit of first class must be multiple of 55
4. Classes are shown in the first column and frequencies in the second column.

Grouped Frequency Distribution Table

Inclusive type of frequency distribution can be converted into exclusive type as in Table (b)

Ungrouped Frequency Distribution

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A frequency distribution with an interval width of 1 is reffered to an ungrouped frequency distribution.

Ungroped frequency distribution is an arrangement of the observed values in ascending order. The
ungrouped frequency distribution are those data, which are not arranged in groups. They are known as
individual series. When the ungrouped data are grouped, we get the grouped frequency distribution.

For Example: A teacher gave a test to a class of 26 students. The maximum mark is 5. The marks
obtained by the pupils are:

323343125
154211334
12145422

Such data as above is called ungrouped (or raw) data.

We may arrange the marks in ascending or descending order. The data so represented is called an array.

11 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2
33 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5

The difference between the greatest and the smallest number is called range of the data. Thus for the
above data, the range is 5 - 1 which equals 4 marks.

Chart and Graph

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A histogram is sometimes known as frequency distribution chart. It is a set of vertical bars whose areas
are proportional to the frequencies. While constructing histogram, the variable is always taken on the
horizontal axis and frequencies on the vertical axis. The width of the bars in the frequency distribution
chart will be proportional to the class interval. The bars are drawn without leaving spaces between them.
A frequency distribution chart or histogram in general represents a continuous curve.

The graphs of frequency distribution are frequency graphs that are used to reveal the characteristics of
discrete and continuous data. Such graphs are more appealing to eye than the tabulated data. This helps
us to facilitate comparative study of two or more frequency distributions. We can compare the shape and
pattern of the two frequency distributions.

The most commonly used graphs of frequency distribution are

1. Histogram
2. Frequency polygon
3. Frequency Curve
4. Ogives (Cumulative frequency curves)
Mean of Frequency Distribution
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Mean of frequency distribution can be find by multiplying each midpoint by its frequency, and then divide
by the total number of values in the frequency distribution, we have an estimate of the mean.

Mean = ∑ f × xn∑ f × xn
where, ff = frequency in each class
nn = sum of the frequencies.
Solved Example
Question: Find the mean for this set of data.

x f
2 5
3 2
5 6
7 7

Solution:

Frequency distribution table for the set of data:

x f f*x
2 5 10
3 2 6
5 6 30
7 7 49
Sum n = ∑f∑f = 20 ∑fx∑fx = 95

Mean = ∑fxn∑fxn = 95209520

= 95209520

= 194194.

Example
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Solved Examples
Question 1: Given the following frequency distribution, Find the standard deviation of the data.

xf
62
73
83
92

Solution:

x f fx x2 x2 f
6 2 12 36 72
7 3 21 49 147
8 3 24 64 192
9 2 18 81 162
Sum ∑∑f = 10 ∑∑fx = 75 ∑∑ x2 f = 573

Step 1:

(∑∑fx)2 = (75)2

= 5625

Step 2:
The variance formula is:

s2 = ∑x2f−(∑fx)2nn∑x2f−(∑fx)2nn

=> s2 = 573−56251010573−56251010

= 573−562.510573−562.510

= 10.51010.510
= 1.05

and the standard deviation is

s = 1.05−−−−√1.05

= 1.03

Hence the standard deviation is 1.03

Question 2: The set of data below shows the marks of 30 students. Draw a cumulative frequency table
for the data.

Solution:

The cumulative frequency table for the data.

Class (marks) Frequency (f) Cumulative Frequency (cf)

10-15 2 2
15-20 2 2+2=4
20-25 4 4+4=8
25-30 3 8 + 3 = 11
30-35 6 11 + 6 = 17
35-40 6 17 + 6 = 23
40-45 4 23 + 4 = 27
45-50 3 27 + 3 = 30

Question 3: Draw the frequency distribution table for the given ungrouped data. Consider the following
ungrouped marks (out of 50) given to 30 students:

24 30 36 35 42 40 26 23
36 36 12 45 29 21 34 40
16 47 28 32 33 44 19 34
30 36 35 49 20 14

Solution:

Frequency distribution table for the given data:

The range for the above ungrouped data is 49 - 12 = 37. Normally it is desirable to divide the range into 6
to 10 classes. Consider the class 11 - 15. If a student scores 11 marks or 15 marks, he will be put in this
class. For this class, 11 is the lower limit and 15 is the upper limit and both are included in the class.
Question 4:

Consider this example for exclusive type of distribution. The following is a survey of the pocket money of
40 students in a school (pocket money in rupees per week):

Solution:

The range for the above ungrouped data is obtained. The range is 78 - 27, which equals 51. We make
intervals of 20 - 30, 30 - 40, 40 - 50,…

For class 20 - 30, we read it to mean 20 and above but less than 30. For class 30 - 40, we read it to mean
30 and above but less than 40 and so on. Now frequency distribution table is obtained.

Here, overlapping classes are selected. Therefore, lower limits and actual lower limits as also the upper
limits and actual upper limits are the same.

Cumulative Frequency
While dealing with statistical data, we come across numbers. At times, the numbers are repeated. When
the same value occurs more than once, it is known as the frequency of a number. The frequency of a
variable can be easily understood by constructing a table for it. There is one more concept that is known
as cumulative frequency. The whole frequency of all classes less than the upper class boundary of a
specified class is called the cumulative frequency of that class. If cumulative frequencies are represented
in a table then it is called as cumulative frequency distribution.
Cumulative frequencies can also be represented by graphs. The most popular graph is known as a
cumulative frequency graph or ogive. The simple cumulative frequency, as in the case of ogive, we take
the ordinate as the percentage cumulative frequency, we shall get a percentage cumulative frequency
curve. Such a curve is useful for comparing different frequency distributions as they are adjusted to a
uniform standard. It is to be noted that the ogive for a discrete series is drawn on the assumption that the
data is continuous. When the class frequencies run up to a maximum at one end of the range, they form a
J-shaped curve.

Let us go ahead and understand more about cumulative frequency, its table and various graphs
representing cumulative frequency.

Definition
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The cumulative frequency for each class interval is the frequency for that class interval added to the
preceding cumulative total. Cumulative frequency can also defined as the sum of all previous frequencies
up to the current point. Cumulative frequency is obtained by adding the frequency of a class interval and
the frequencies of the preceding intervals up to that class interval.

Distribution
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One of the important type of frequency distribution is cumulative frequency distribution. In cumulative
frequency distribution, the frequencies are shown in the cumulative manner. A table showing the
cumulative frequencies is called a cumulative frequency distribution.

There are two types of cumulative frequency distributions.

Less than Cumulative Frequency Distribution

In this frequency distribution, the frequencies of all preceding classes are added to the frequency of a
class. It is constructed by adding the first class frequency to second class frequency that to the third class
frequency and so on. The downward cumulation result in the less than cumulative series.

Example:
Marks are cumulated downwards in the following distribution. This is less than cumulative distribution

Marks Less than Cumulative frequency

Less than 10 5

Less than 15 7

Less than 20 12
 Less than 25 25

Less than 30 37

Less than 35 64

Less than 40 76

Less than 45 82

Less than 50 100

So, we can say that the number of students scoring marks less than 30 is 37.

More than Cumulative Frequency Distribution

In this frequency distribution, the frequencies of succeeding classes are added to the frequency of a
class. It is constructed by subtracting the first class second class frequency from the total, third class
frequency from that and so on. The upward cumulation results in greater than or more than cumulative
series.

Example:
Marks are cumulated upwards in the following distribution. This is greater than cumulative distribution

Marks Less than Cumulative frequency

More than 0 80

More than 10 75

More than 15 70

More than 20 62

More than 25 60

More than 30 37

More than 35 24

More than 40 12

More than 45 2

So we can say that the number of students scoring marks between 20 and 25 is 62−60=262−60=2

Table
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Cumulative frequency defined as the sum of all previous frequencies up to the current point.Cumulative
frequency can also defined as the sum of all previous frequencies up to the current point. The cumulative
frequency is usually observed by constructing a cumulative frequency table.

Histogram
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When data has been grouped into classes then histograms are best used for large sets of data.
Histograms are most commonly used for continuous data. A histogram is constructed from a frequency
table. The intervals from the table are placed on the x-axis and the values needed for the frequencies are
represented on the y-axis. The shape of a cumulative frequency histogram will always have the
rectangular bars getting bigger as we move to the right.

Solved Example
Question: Draw a histogram to represent the following data.

Marks Number of students

0-10 4

10-20 6

20-30 12

30-40 8

Solution:

Cumulative frequency distribution table:

Marks Number of students Cumulative frequency (cf)

0-10 4 4

10-20 6 4 + 6 = 10

20-30 12 10 + 12 = 22

30-40 8 22 + 8 = 30

Histogram for the above table:

The shape of a cumulative frequency histogram will always have the rectangular bars getting bigger as
we move to the right.
Graphing
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An Ogive (cumulative frequency graph) is a graph that represents the cumulative frequencies of the
classes in a frequency distribution. It shows the data below or above a particular value. The two types of
Ogives are less than Ogive and greater than or more than Ogive.

Steps for constructing a less than Ogive chart (less than Cumulative frequency graph): -

1. Draw and label the horizontal and vertical axes.

2. Take the cumulative frequencies along the y axis (vertical axis) and the upper class limits on the x axis
(horizontal axis)

3. Plot the cumulative frequencies against each upper class limit.

4. Join the points with a smooth curve.Steps for constructing a greater than or more than Ogive chart
(more than Cumulative frequency graph):

1. Draw and label the horizontal and vertical axes.

2. Take the cumulative frequencies along the y axis (vertical axis) and the lower class limits on the x axis
(horizontal axis)

3. Plot the cumulative frequencies against each lower class limit.

4. Join the points with a smooth curve.

Solved Example
Question: Draw the less than cumulative frequency curve for the following data

Class 20-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 40-45 45-50 50-55

F 10 12 8 20 11 4 5

Solution:

First lets find the less than cumulative frequency corresponding to each class. For this the frequencies of
all preceding classes are added to the frequency of a class. The less than cumulative frequency table is
given below.

Upper Limit Frequency Less than Cumulative frequency

25 10 10

30 12 10 + 12 = 22
 36 8 22 + 8 = 30

40 20 30 + 20 = 50

45 11 50 + 11 = 61

50 4 61 + 4 = 65

55 5 65 + 5 = 70

Now we draw the horizontal and vertical axes and label it. Plot the cumulative frequencies corresponding
to the upper limit of each class and join the points using a smooth curve.

The less than cumulative frequency curve is shown below.

Plot
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When the cumulative frequencies plotted against the class limits are joined by straight lines, we get a
cumulative frequency polygon. A cumulative frequency plot is a way to display cumulative information
graphically. The shape of a cumulative frequency will always increasing order as we move to the right.

The cumulative frequency polygon for the data is given by

Limit Frequency Cumulative frequency

25 10 10

30 12 10 + 12 = 22

36 8 22 + 8 = 30

40 20 30 + 20 = 50

45 11 50 + 11 = 61

50 4 61 + 4 = 65

55 5 65 + 5 = 70

Cumulative Percentage Frequency

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To form the cumulative percentage frequency distribution table ensure the given steps

 Frequency distribution table is constructed.

 Calculate the cumulative frequency for the given individual data according to their frequencies.
 Substitute the cumulative frequency in the given formula and calculate the cumulative percentage
values.

Formula to Calculate Cumulative Percentage Frequency

Cumulative frequency% = (Cumulative FrequencyTotal Number (N)×100)(Cumulative

FrequencyTotal Number (N)×100)
where, N is total number of frequencies.

Solved Example
Question:

Form a cumulative percentage frequency distribution table with the given following data

4, 3, 1, 5, 6, 3, 4, 3, 4, 1, 5, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5.

Solution:

Step 1:
Cumulative percentage frequency distribution

Form the frequency distribution table as follows,

Class
Classes Frequency
boundaries
1 0.5- 1.5 3
2 1.5- 2.5 1
3 2.5-3 .5 4
4 3.5- 4.5 4
5 4.5- 5.5 3
6 5.5-6.5 2

Step 2: Cumulative percentage frequency distribution

Form the cumulative frequency for the given table

 Class Cumulative
Classes Frequency
boundaries Frequency
1 0.5-1.5 3 3
2 1.5-2.5 1 3+1=4
3 2.5-3.5 4 4+ 4 = 8
4 3.5-4.5 4 8 + 4 =12
5 4.5-5.5 3 12 + 3 = 15
6 5.5-6.5 2 15 + 2 = 17

Here, N = 17

Step 3 -Cumulative percentage frequency distribution

Cumulative frequency
%= ((Cumulative Frequency)Total Number(N)×100)((Cumulative Frequency)Tot
al Number(N)×100)
where N is total number of frequencies.

Cumulative C. F % = c.f / N * 100

Classes Class boundaries Frequency
Frequency
1 0.5-1.5 3 3 3/ 17 * 100 = 17
2 1.5-2.5 1 3+1=4 4/ 17 * 100 = 23
3 2.5-3.5 4 4+ 4 = 8 8/ 17 * 100 = 47
4 3.5-4.5 4 8 + 4 =12 12/ 17 * 100 = 70
5 4.5-5.5 3 12 + 3 = 15 15/ 17 * 100 = 88
6 5.5-6.5 2 15 + 2 = 17 17/ 17 * 100 = 100

Here, N = 17
Thus a cumulative percentage frequency distribution table is created.

Step 4:
Cumulative percentage frequency distribution

we can plot the graph for the cumulative percentage frequency as follows,

Cumulative Relative Frequency

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Relative cumulative frequency of a class is the frequency obtained by dividing cumulative frequency by
the total frequency. It can be expressed as a percentage.

The relative frequency calculation is illustrated below

Frequency Less than Cumulative Relative Cumulative

Upper
Limit (f) frequency ( )(fn)
Frequency fn

25 10 10 10 / 70 = 0.143

30 12 10 + 12 = 22 22 / 70 = 0.314

35 8 22 + 8 = 30 30 / 70 = 0.429

40 20 30 + 20 = 50 50 / 70 = 0.714

45 11 50 + 11 = 61 61 / 70 =0. 871

50 4 61 + 4 = 65 65 / 70 = 0.929

55 5 65 + 5 = 70 70 / 70 =1

Total n = 70

Cumulative Relative Frequency Distribution

Cumulative relative frequency distribution is the ratio of the cumulative frequency to the size of the
sample. The relative cumulative frequency or percentage cumulative frequency is the cumulative
frequency divided by the total frequency. A cumulative relative frequency distribution shows the
proportion of data items and can be computed either by summing the relative frequencies in the relative
frequency distribution.

Examples
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Given below are some of the examples on Cumulative Frequency.

Solved Example
Question:

Frequency distribution table gives the marks obtained by 40 students. Find the "less than" and "more
than" cumulative frequency distribution for the following data.

Class Marks Frequency

0 - 10 4

10 - 20 5

20 - 30 12

30 - 40 11

40 - 50 8

Solution:

Step 1:

The following frequency distribution table gives the marks obtained by 40 students:

Table (a)

The frequencies can be added, as indicated by the arrows, to obtain the cumulative frequency.

In the table(a), it is observed that 4 students got marks 'less than 10', 9 students got marks 'less than 20'
and so on.

Step 2:
Therefore, the above distribution is called 'less than' cumulative frequency distribution.

Therefore, Table (a) can be re-written as table (b).

Table (b)

Class Cumulative Frequency

Less than 10 4

Less than 20 9
Less than 30 21

Less than 40 32

Less than 50 40

Step 3:
In the same way 'more than' cumulative frequency distribution can be obtained by adding to the other
frequencies in the reverse order.

Table (c)

The frequencies can be added, as indicated by the arrows, to obtain the cumulative frequency.

Table (c) can be re-written as table (d).

Table (d)

Class Cumulative Frequency (c.f.)

More than 0 40

More than 10 36

More than 20 31

More than 30 19

More than 40 8