Frequency, Frequency Tables, and Levels of Measurement Quiz

PDF page 40: A frequency is the number of times a value of the data occurs. According to Table 1.12, there are three students who work two hours, five students who work three hours, and so on. The sum of the values in the frequency column, 20, represents the total number of students included in the sample. A relative frequency is the ratio (fraction or proportion) of the number of times a value of the data occurs in the set of all outcomes to the total number of outcomes. To find the relative frequencies, divide each frequency by the total number of students in the sample, in this case, 20. Relative frequencies can be written as fractions, percents, or decimals.

PDF page 40: A frequency is the number of times a value of the data occurs. According to Table 1.12, there are three students who work two hours, five students who work three hours, and so on. The sum of the values in the frequency column, 20, represents the total number of students included in the sample. A relative frequency is the ratio (fraction or proportion) of the number of times a value of the data occurs in the set of all outcomes to the total number of outcomes. To find the relative frequencies, divide each frequency by the total number of students in the sample, in this case, 20. Relative frequencies can be written as fractions, percents, or decimals.

PDF page 41: Cumulative relative frequency is the accumulation of the previous relative frequencies. To find the cumulative relative frequencies, add all the previous relative frequencies to the relative frequency for the current row, as shown in Table 1.14. In the first row, the cumulative frequency is simply .15 because it is the only one. In the second row, the relative frequency was .25, so adding that to .15, we get a relative frequency of .40. Continue adding the relative frequencies in each row to get the rest of the column.

PDF page 41: The last entry of the cumulative relative frequency column is one, indicating that one hundred percent of the data has been accumulated.

PDF page 39: The way a set of data is measured is called its level of measurement. Correct statistical procedures depend on a researcher being familiar with levels of measurement. Not every statistical operation can be used with every set of data. Data can be classified into four levels of measurement. They are as follows (from lowest to highest level):

PDF page 39: The way a set of data is measured is called its level of measurement. Correct statistical procedures depend on a researcher being familiar with levels of measurement. Not every statistical operation can be used with every set of data. Data can be classified into four levels of measurement. They are as follows (from lowest to highest level):

PDF page 39: The way a set of data is measured is called its level of measurement. Correct statistical procedures depend on a researcher being familiar with levels of measurement. Not every statistical operation can be used with every set of data. Data can be classified into four levels of measurement. They are as follows (from lowest to highest level):

PDF page 39: • Nominal scale level

PDF page 39: Data that is measured using a nominal scale is qualitative (categorical). Categories, colors, names, labels, and favorite foods along with yes or no responses are examples of nominal level data. Nominal scale data are not ordered. For example, trying to classify people according to their favorite food does not make any sense. Putting pizza first and sushi second is not meaningful. Smartphone companies are another example of nominal scale data. The data are the names of the companies that make smartphones, but there is no agreed upon order of these brands, even though people may have personal preferences. Nominal scale data cannot be used in calculations. Data that is measured using an ordinal scale is similar to nominal scale data but there is a big difference. The ordinal

PDF page 39: Data that is measured using a nominal scale is qualitative (categorical). Categories, colors, names, labels, and favorite foods along with yes or no responses are examples of nominal level data. Nominal scale data are not ordered. For example, trying to classify people according to their favorite food does not make any sense. Putting pizza first and sushi second is not meaningful. Smartphone companies are another example of nominal scale data. The data are the names of the companies that make smartphones, but there is no agreed upon order of these brands, even though people may have personal preferences. Nominal scale data cannot be used in calculations. Data that is measured using an ordinal scale is similar to nominal scale data but there is a big difference. The ordinal

PDF page 39: Data that is measured using a nominal scale is qualitative (categorical). Categories, colors, names, labels, and favorite foods along with yes or no responses are examples of nominal level data. Nominal scale data are not ordered. For example, trying to classify people according to their favorite food does not make any sense. Putting pizza first and sushi second is not meaningful. Smartphone companies are another example of nominal scale data. The data are the names of the companies that make smartphones, but there is no agreed upon order of these brands, even though people may have personal preferences. Nominal scale data cannot be used in calculations. Data that is measured using an ordinal scale is similar to nominal scale data but there is a big difference. The ordinal

PDF page 40: scale data can be ordered. An example of ordinal scale data is a list of the top five national parks in the United States. The top five national parks in the United States can be ranked from one to five but we cannot measure differences between the data. Another example of using the ordinal scale is a cruise survey where the responses to questions about the cruise are excellent, good, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory. These responses are ordered from the most desired response to the least desired. But the differences between two pieces of data cannot be measured. Like the nominal scale data, ordinal scale data cannot be used in calculations. Like data measured on an ordinal scale, data that are measured on an interval scale have a definite ordering. While ordinal scale data are categorical, or qualitative, interval scale data are numerical, or quantitative. It is possible to calculate differences between values measured on an interval scale. There is no minimum or "zero" value, however. Temperature scales like Celsius (C) and Fahrenheit (F) are measured by using the interval scale. In both temperature measurements, 40° is equal to 100° minus 60°. Differences make sense. But 0 degrees does not represent a minimum value. In both scales, 0 is not the absolute lowest temperature. Temperatures like –10 °F and –15 °C exist and are colder than 0. Data that are measured using the ratio scale give the most information. Ratio scale data is like interval scale data, but there is a minimum value and ratios can be calculated. For example, four multiple choice statistics final exam scores are 80, 68, 20 and 92 (out of a possible 100 points). The exams are machine-graded. The data can be put in order from lowest to highest 20, 68, 80, 92. The differences between the data have meaning. The score 92 is more than the score 68 by 24 points. Ratios can be calculated. The minimum score is 0. So 80 is four times 20. The score of 80 is four times better than the score of 20.

PDF page 40: scale data can be ordered. An example of ordinal scale data is a list of the top five national parks in the United States. The top five national parks in the United States can be ranked from one to five but we cannot measure differences between the data. Another example of using the ordinal scale is a cruise survey where the responses to questions about the cruise are excellent, good, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory. These responses are ordered from the most desired response to the least desired. But the differences between two pieces of data cannot be measured. Like the nominal scale data, ordinal scale data cannot be used in calculations. Like data measured on an ordinal scale, data that are measured on an interval scale have a definite ordering. While ordinal scale data are categorical, or qualitative, interval scale data are numerical, or quantitative. It is possible to calculate differences between values measured on an interval scale. There is no minimum or "zero" value, however. Temperature scales like Celsius (C) and Fahrenheit (F) are measured by using the interval scale. In both temperature measurements, 40° is equal to 100° minus 60°. Differences make sense. But 0 degrees does not represent a minimum value. In both scales, 0 is not the absolute lowest temperature. Temperatures like –10 °F and –15 °C exist and are colder than 0. Data that are measured using the ratio scale give the most information. Ratio scale data is like interval scale data, but there is a minimum value and ratios can be calculated. For example, four multiple choice statistics final exam scores are 80, 68, 20 and 92 (out of a possible 100 points). The exams are machine-graded. The data can be put in order from lowest to highest 20, 68, 80, 92. The differences between the data have meaning. The score 92 is more than the score 68 by 24 points. Ratios can be calculated. The minimum score is 0. So 80 is four times 20. The score of 80 is four times better than the score of 20.

PDF page 40: scale data can be ordered. An example of ordinal scale data is a list of the top five national parks in the United States. The top five national parks in the United States can be ranked from one to five but we cannot measure differences between the data. Another example of using the ordinal scale is a cruise survey where the responses to questions about the cruise are excellent, good, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory. These responses are ordered from the most desired response to the least desired. But the differences between two pieces of data cannot be measured. Like the nominal scale data, ordinal scale data cannot be used in calculations. Like data measured on an ordinal scale, data that are measured on an interval scale have a definite ordering. While ordinal scale data are categorical, or qualitative, interval scale data are numerical, or quantitative. It is possible to calculate differences between values measured on an interval scale. There is no minimum or "zero" value, however. Temperature scales like Celsius (C) and Fahrenheit (F) are measured by using the interval scale. In both temperature measurements, 40° is equal to 100° minus 60°. Differences make sense. But 0 degrees does not represent a minimum value. In both scales, 0 is not the absolute lowest temperature. Temperatures like –10 °F and –15 °C exist and are colder than 0. Data that are measured using the ratio scale give the most information. Ratio scale data is like interval scale data, but there is a minimum value and ratios can be calculated. For example, four multiple choice statistics final exam scores are 80, 68, 20 and 92 (out of a possible 100 points). The exams are machine-graded. The data can be put in order from lowest to highest 20, 68, 80, 92. The differences between the data have meaning. The score 92 is more than the score 68 by 24 points. Ratios can be calculated. The minimum score is 0. So 80 is four times 20. The score of 80 is four times better than the score of 20.