Frequency distribution

Frequency distribution

Frequency distribution (pronunciation: /ˈfriːkwənsi dɪstrɪˈbjuːʃən/) is a statistical tool that is used to summarize a set of data. It is a tabular or graphical representation of the number of occurrences (frequency) of each value in a data set.

Etymology

The term "frequency distribution" is derived from the English words "frequency" which means the rate at which something occurs over a particular period or in a given sample, and "distribution" which refers to the way in which something is shared out among a group or spread over an area.

Definition

In Statistics, a frequency distribution is a list, table or graph that displays the frequency of various outcomes in a sample. Each entry in the table contains the frequency or count of the occurrences of values within a particular group or interval, and in this way, the table summarizes the distribution of values in the sample.

Types of Frequency Distribution

There are several types of frequency distributions, including:

• Absolute Frequency: This is the number of times a particular value appears in a data set.
• Relative Frequency: This is the proportion of total observations that are given value.
• Cumulative Frequency: This is the sum of the absolute or relative frequencies of all values that are less than or equal to a particular value.
• Grouped Frequency Distribution: This is a frequency distribution where values are grouped into classes or intervals.

Related Terms

• Histogram
• Bar Chart
• Pie Chart
• Statistical Analysis
• Data Set
• Sample Size

See Also

• Descriptive Statistics
• Inferential Statistics
• Probability Distribution
• Normal Distribution

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Frequency distribution
• Wikipedia's article - Frequency distribution

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