how to calculate cumulative frequency
how to calculate cumulative frequency
Answer: Cumulative frequency is the running total of frequencies up to a certain value in a dataset. It helps you analyze the distribution of data. To calculate cumulative frequency, follow these steps:
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Organize Data: Arrange your data in ascending order.
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Create a Frequency Column: Create a new column for frequencies. Count how many times each value appears in the dataset and record these frequencies.
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Create a Cumulative Frequency Column: Create another column for cumulative frequency. Start with the frequency of the first value and then add the frequency of each subsequent value to the previous cumulative frequency.
Here’s an example:
| Value | Frequency | Cumulative Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 | 3 + 2 = 5 |
| 9 | 4 | 5 + 4 = 9 |
| 12 | 1 | 9 + 1 = 10 |
| 15 | 5 | 10 + 5 = 15 |
In this example, the cumulative frequency of a value represents the total number of times values up to and including that value appear in the dataset.
Cumulative frequency can also be expressed as a percentage of the total number of data points. To do this, divide the cumulative frequency by the total number of data points and multiply by 100. This gives you the cumulative percentage frequency.