In a relative frequency distribution, what does each $f/n$ (relative frequency) represent?

• A. The proportion of observations in each class compared to the total number of observations, i.e., $\frac{f}{n}$
• B. The difference between the highest and lowest values in the data set
• C. The cumulative sum of frequencies up to each class
• D. The absolute number of observations in each class

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that a relative frequency distribution shows how often each class or category occurs relative to the total number of observations.
2. Recall that the relative frequency for a class is calculated by dividing the frequency of that class by the total number of observations, which gives a proportion or fraction.
3. Express this mathematically as: \(\text{Relative Frequency} = \frac{\text{Frequency of a class}}{\text{Total number of observations}}\).
4. Recognize that this proportion represents the part of the whole data set that falls into each class, making it easier to compare classes regardless of the total sample size.
5. Distinguish this from other concepts such as the range (difference between highest and lowest values), cumulative frequency (sum of frequencies up to a class), and absolute frequency (the count of observations in a class).