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Ch. 2 - Descriptive Statistics
Larson - Elementary Statistics: Picturing the World 8th Edition
Larson8th EditionElementary Statistics: Picturing the WorldISBN: 9780137493470Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 2, Problem 2.1.13

use the given information about the data set and the number of classes to find the class width, the lower class limits, and the upper class limits.
min=17, range=118, 8 classes

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Step 1: Calculate the class width using the formula: \( \text{Class Width} = \frac{\text{Range}}{\text{Number of Classes}} \). Substitute the given values: \( \text{Range} = 118 \) and \( \text{Number of Classes} = 8 \). Round up the result to the nearest whole number if necessary.
Step 2: Determine the lower class limits. Start with the minimum value (\( \text{Min} = 17 \)) as the first lower class limit. Add the class width repeatedly to find the subsequent lower class limits.
Step 3: Determine the upper class limits. For each class, subtract 1 from the next lower class limit to find the upper class limit. For the last class, add the class width to the last lower class limit and subtract 1.
Step 4: Organize the lower and upper class limits into intervals. Each interval will be of the form \([\text{Lower Class Limit}, \text{Upper Class Limit}]\).
Step 5: Verify the intervals by ensuring that the total number of classes matches the given number (8 classes) and that the range of the data is covered completely.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Class Width

Class width is the difference between the upper and lower limits of a class interval in a frequency distribution. It is calculated by dividing the range of the data set by the number of classes. In this case, the range is 118, and with 8 classes, the class width can be determined by dividing 118 by 8, which helps in organizing the data into manageable intervals.
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Lower Class Limits

The lower class limit is the smallest value that can belong to a particular class interval in a frequency distribution. For the first class, it is typically the minimum value of the data set, which in this case is given as 17. Subsequent lower class limits can be found by adding the class width to the previous lower class limit, establishing a structured way to categorize the data.
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Upper Class Limits

The upper class limit is the largest value that can belong to a particular class interval. It is calculated by adding the class width to the lower class limit of each class. For example, if the lower class limit is 17 and the class width is calculated as 14.75, the upper class limit for the first class would be 31.75, allowing for a clear definition of the range of values within each class.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Comparing Variation in Different Data Sets In Exercises 45–50, find the coefficient of variation for each of the two data sets. Then compare the results.

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Textbook Question

Construct a frequency distribution and a frequency histogram for the data set using the indicated number of classes. Describe any patterns.

Reaction Times

Number of classes: 8

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Textbook Question

Extending Concepts


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Textbook Question

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Textbook Question

What is the difference between a frequency polygon and an ogive?

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Textbook Question

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