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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 2.1.43c

Use the data set and the indicated number of classes to construct


(c) a frequency polygon,

Pulse Rates
Number of classes: 6 Data set: Pulse rates of all students in a class 68 105 95 80 90 100 75 70 84 98 102 70 65 88 90 75 78 94 110 120 95 80 76 108

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Organize the data by first determining the range. Find the minimum and maximum pulse rates from the data set. The range is calculated as \(\text{Range} = \text{Maximum value} - \text{Minimum value}\).
Step 2: Calculate the class width by dividing the range by the number of classes (6). Use the formula \(\text{Class width} = \frac{\text{Range}}{6}\). Round up to a convenient number if necessary to cover the entire data range.
Step 3: Create the class intervals starting from the minimum value, adding the class width to form each subsequent class. Make sure the classes do not overlap and cover all data points.
Step 4: Tally the data points into each class interval to find the frequency for each class. This will give you the frequency distribution needed for the frequency polygon.
Step 5: To construct the frequency polygon, plot the midpoints of each class interval on the x-axis and their corresponding frequencies on the y-axis. Connect the points with straight lines, and remember to start and end the polygon at the baseline (frequency zero) by adding points before the first class midpoint and after the last class midpoint.

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Key Concepts

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

Frequency Distribution and Class Intervals

A frequency distribution organizes data into classes or intervals, showing how many data points fall into each class. Determining appropriate class intervals, especially the number of classes, helps summarize data effectively and prepares it for graphical representation like histograms or frequency polygons.
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Guided course
06:38
Intro to Frequency Distributions

Frequency Polygon Construction

A frequency polygon is a line graph that connects midpoints of class intervals plotted against their frequencies. It visually represents the distribution shape and trends in the data, making it easier to compare datasets or observe patterns compared to histograms.
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Creating Frequency Polygons

Data Grouping and Midpoint Calculation

Grouping raw data into classes requires calculating class boundaries and midpoints. Midpoints are the average of the lower and upper class limits and serve as the x-coordinates in a frequency polygon, linking frequency data points smoothly to depict the distribution.
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Introduction to Collecting Data
Related Practice
Textbook Question

Graphical Analysis In Exercises 21–24, you are asked to compare three data sets.


(c) Estimate the sample standard deviations. Then determine how close each of your estimates is by finding the sample standard deviations.


i.

ii.

iii.

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Textbook Question

Graphical Analysis In Exercises 21–24, you are asked to compare three data sets.


(c) Estimate the sample standard deviations. Then determine how close each of your estimates is by finding the sample standard deviations.


i.

ii.

iii.

93
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Textbook Question

Use the relative frequency histogram to describe any patterns with the data.

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Textbook Question

What Would You Do? The admissions department for a college is asked to recommend the minimum SAT scores that the college will accept for full-time students. The SAT scores of 50 applicants are listed. 1170 1000 910 870 1070 1290 920 1470 1080 1180 770 900 1120 1070 1370 1160 970 930 1240 1270 1250 1330 1010 1010 1410 1130 1210 1240 960 820 650 1010 1190 1500 1400 1270 1310 1050 950 1150 1450 1290 1310 1100 1330 1410 840 1040 1090 1080

If you want to accept the top 88% of the applicants, what should the minimum score be? Explain.

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Textbook Question

Extending Concepts


Trimmed Mean To find the 10% trimmed mean of a data set, order the data, delete the lowest 10% of the entries and the highest 10% of the entries, and find the mean of the remaining entries.


c. What is the benefit of using a trimmed mean versus using a mean found using all data entries? Explain your reasoning.

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Textbook Question

Extending Concepts


Golf The distances (in yards) for nine holes of a golf course are listed.

336 393 408 522 147 504 177 375 360


c. Compare the measures you found in part (b) with those found in part (a). What do you notice?

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