Handling Data

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Starter
50 people each did one activity at a sports centre.
Some of the people went swimming.
Some of the people played squash.
The rest of the people used the gym.
21 of the people were female.
6 of the 8 people who played squash were male.
18 of the people used the gym.
9 males went swimming.
Work out the number of females who used the gym.

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 Cumulative
Frequency Diagrams
LO: To construct a cumulative frequency diagram and use
it to estimate the median and quartiles.

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Example Cumulative frequency is a running total
of the frequency
Charlie drives to work.
The table gives information about the time (t minutes) it took to get to work on each of 80 days.
(a) Complete the cumulative frequency table.

Time, t (mins) Frequency Time, t (mins) Cumulative frequency

0 < 𝑡 ≤ 10 13 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 10
10 < 𝑡 ≤ 20 29 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 20
20 < 𝑡 ≤ 30 26 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 30
30 < 𝑡 ≤ 40 10 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 40
40 < 𝑡 ≤ 50 2 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 50

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(b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph.

80 x
x

70 x

60 Time, t (mins) CF
Cumulative Frequency

0 < 𝑡 ≤ 10 13
50
x 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 20 42

40 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 30 68
0 < 𝑡 ≤ 40 78
30 0 < 𝑡 ≤ 50 80

20
x
10

0 Time
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
(c) Use your graph to estimate the median time.

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(d) Use your graph to estimate the lower quartile.
(e) Use your graph to estimate the upper quartile.
80 x
x

70 x

60
Cumulative Frequency

50
x
40

30

20
x
10

0 Time
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
(f) Calculate the inter-quartile range.
(g) Use your graph to estimate the number of days it took Charlie more than 18 minutes to
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drive to work.
To estimate the median, draw a line from the halfway cumulative frequency value across
to the curve. Then draw a line down to the 𝑥 axis and read off the value.

To estimate the lower quartile, draw a line from a quarter of the cumulative frequency
value across to the curve. Then draw a line down to the 𝑥 axis and read off the value.

To estimate the upper quartile, draw a line from three quarters of the cumulative
frequency value across to the curve. Then draw a line down to the 𝑥 axis and read off the
value.

To calculate the interquartile range (IQR) subtract the lower quartile (LQ) from the upper
quartile (UQ).
IQR = UQ - LQ

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Exercise A
1. The time taken for 80 runners to complete 2. The table shows the masses of 60
a 10km fun run is shown. hippos.
(a) Copy and complete the table. (a) Copy and complete the table.
(b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph (b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph.
(c) Estimate the median time taken. (c) Estimate the median time taken.
(d) Estimate the quartiles and interquartile (d) Estimate the quartiles and interquartile
range. range.
(e) Estimate the number of people who took (e) Estimate how many hippos weigh more
58 minutes or less to complete the fun than 1.55 tonnes.
run.

Time Freq Cumulative Mass (tonnes) Freq Cumulative

(minutes) Freq Freq
40 < 𝑡 ≤ 45 3 1.3 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.4 4
45 < 𝑡 ≤ 50 17 1.4 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.5 7
50 < 𝑡 ≤ 55 25 1.5 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.6 21
55 < 𝑡 ≤ 60 26 1.6 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.7 18
60 < 𝑡 ≤ 65 8 1.7 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.8 10
65 < 𝑡 ≤ 70 1

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Exercise A
1. The time taken for 80 runners to complete 2. The table shows the masses of 60
a 10km fun run is shown. hippos.
(a) Copy and complete the table. (a) Copy and complete the table.
(b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph (b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph.
(c) Estimate the median time taken. (c) Estimate the median time taken.
(d) Estimate the quartiles and interquartile (d) Estimate the quartiles and interquartile
range. range.
(e) Estimate the number of people who took (e) Estimate how many hippos weigh more
58 minutes or less to complete the fun than 1.55 tonnes.
run.

Time Freq Cumulative Mass (tonnes) Freq Cumulative

(minutes) Freq Freq
40 < 𝑡 ≤ 45 3 3 1.3 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.4 4
45 < 𝑡 ≤ 50 17 20 1.4 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.5 7
50 < 𝑡 ≤ 55 25 45 1.5 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.6 21
55 < 𝑡 ≤ 60 26 71 1.6 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.7 18
60 < 𝑡 ≤ 65 8 79 1.7 < 𝑚 ≤ 1.8 10
65 < 𝑡 ≤ 70 1 80

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3. The table shows information about the 4. An operator took 100 calls at a call centre.
heights of 40 bushes. The table gives information about the time (t
seconds) it took the operator to answer each call.
Height Height
Freq. C. F.
(h cm) (h cm) Time (t Frequency Cumulative
170 ≤ ℎ < 175 5 170 ≤ ℎ < 175 seconds) Frequency
175 ≤ ℎ < 180 18 170 ≤ ℎ < 180 0 < t ≤ 10 16
180 ≤ ℎ < 185 12 170 ≤ ℎ < 185 10 < t ≤ 20 34
185 ≤ ℎ < 190 4 170 ≤ ℎ < 190 20 < t ≤ 30 32
190 ≤ ℎ < 195 1 170 ≤ ℎ < 195 30 < t ≤ 40 14
40 < t ≤ 50 4
(a) Complete the cumulative frequency table.
(a) Complete the cumulative frequency column of
(b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph for your the table.
table.
(c) Use the graph to find an estimate for the (b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph for your
median height of the bushes. table.
(d) Estimate the inter-quartile range.
(c) Use your graph to find an estimate for the
(e) How many bushes had a height of more number of calls the operator took more than
than 187 cm? 18 seconds to answer.

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Exam Style Question

The cumulative frequency graph gives information about the monthly rainfall, in millimetres, in
the United Kingdom during 120 months in the years 2001 to 2010.
(a) Use the graph to estimate the
number of months for which rainfall
was less than 50 mm.

(b) Use the graph to find an

estimate for the median monthly
rainfall.

(c) Use the graph to find an

estimate for the interquartile range of
the monthly rainfall.

(d) Estimate the percentage of

months that had more than 160 mm
of rain.

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Starter:

The grouped frequency table gives information

about the lengths of time 160 students exercised
one day.

(a) Complete the cumulative frequency table.

(b) Draw a cumulative frequency graph for your table.

(c) Use your graph to find an estimate for the interquartile range
of the lengths of time the 160 students exercised.

(d) Estimate the number who exercised for more than 180 minutes.

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 Box Plots
LO: To represent a set of data in a box plot.

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How can we find the median of a set of data in a list?

e.g. 4, 4, 5, 5, 8, 9, 10 , 12

Median: 7 ÷ 2 = 3.5 Median: 8 ÷ 2 = 4

So the median is the 4th value. So the median is halfway between 4th and 5th
value.
Median = 5
Median = 6.5
What about finding the lower quartile and the upper quartile?

Lower quartile: 8 ÷ 4 = 2
so the lower quartile is half way between the 2nd and 3rd value.
LQ = 4.5

Upper quartile: 8 ÷ 4 x 3 = 6
so the upper quartile is half way between the 6th and 7th value.

UQ = 9.5

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Exercise B

Find the median, LQ and UQ of each of the following sets of data.

1. 13, 14, 16, 16, 16, 18, 20, 22

2. 32, 36, 43, 45, 46, 46, 47, 47, 48, 48

3. 5, 7, 11, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26

4. 12, 7, 16, 5, 4, 12, 11, 10, 9, 6, 13, 14, 7, 8, 8

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Box Plots

Lowest value Median Highest value

Lower Quartile Upper Quartile

0 5 10 15 20 25 t mins

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Example 1

Students in Year 10 were given a test out of 40. The results are shown in the table below.

Lowest Highest
LQ Median UQ
Score Score
7 40 16 28 32
Represent these data in a box plot.

0 10 20 30 40 Test Score

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Example 2
Wendy collected information about the number of songs in a playlist on her friends’ phones.
The results were as follows.

55, 57, 63, 77, 81, 83, 87, 87, 89, 90, 92, 99, 105, 116

By first working out the median , lower quartile and upper quartile, represent this information in
a box plot.

Median = 87, LQ = 77, UQ = 92

50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

Number of Songs

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Exercise C
1. Mrs Raja set work for the students in her class.
She recorded the time taken, in minutes, for each student to do the work.
She used her results to work out the following information.
Shortest time 4, Longest time 57, Median 26, LQ 14, UQ 57
Represent her results in a box plot.

2. Jessica decides to find out how long (in minutes) her friends spend playing computer games per day.
Her results are:
28, 33, 36, 41, 42, 44, 48, 50, 52, 56, 58, 62, 66, 70, 75, 78

Represent Jessica’s data in a box plot.

3. The incomplete box plot and table show some information about some marks.
Mark
Lowest mark 5
Lower quartile
Median 30
Upper quartile 35
Highest mark 55 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Mark
(a) Use the information in the table to complete the box plot.

(b) Use the information in the box plot to complete the table.

Cont …

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4. The box plot gives information about the distribution of the heights of all the trees in a wood.

(a) Write down the median height of the trees.

(b) Work out the interquartile range of the heights of the trees.
There are 300 trees in the wood.
(c) Work out the number of trees in the wood with a height of 17 m or more.

5. The box plot gives information about the distribution of the weights of bags on a plane.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Weight (kg)

(a) Jean says the heaviest bag weighs 23 kg.

She is wrong. Explain why.
(b) Write down the median weight.
(c) Work out the interquartile range of the weights.
There are 240 bags on the plane.
(d) Work out the number of bags with a weight of 10 kg or less.

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Exam Style Question

Mary recorded the heights, in cm, of the girls in her class.

She put the heights in order.

132 144 150 152 160 162 167 167 170 172 177 181 182 182

(a) Find
i) the median height
ii) the lower quartile
iii) the upper quartile

(b) Represent her results in a box plot.

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Exam Style Question

Mary recorded the heights, in cm, of the girls in her class.

She put the heights in order.

132 144 150 152 160 162 167 167 170 172 177 181 182 182

(a) Find
i) the median height 167
ii) the lower quartile 152
iii) the upper quartile 177

(b) Represent her results in a box plot.

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Starter:

The ages of some people stood in the queue at the supermarket were recorded as follows.

18 25 16 38 14 16
41 9 13 11 19

Work out the information necessary to draw a box plot.

You do NOT need to draw the box plot.

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 More Box Plots
LO: To use cumulative frequency graphs to construct box
plots.

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Example
The grouped frequency table gives information about
the ages of 200 elephants.

(a) Complete the cumulative frequency table.

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(b) On the grid, draw a
cumulative frequency graph
for your table.

The youngest elephant was 2 years

old and the oldest was 58 years old.
(c) Use this information and the
cumulative frequency graph to draw
a box plot showing the information
about the elephants’ ages.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Age

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Exercise D

1. The heights of 100 girls are recorded. 2. The masses of a sample of cats are recorded.

Height, ℎ, cm Frequency Mass, 𝑚, kg Frequency

145 ≤ ℎ < 150 7 1.5 ≤ 𝑚 < 2 9
150 ≤ ℎ < 155 25 2 ≤ 𝑚 < 2.5 22
155 ≤ ℎ < 160 46 2.5 ≤ 𝑚 < 3 37
160 ≤ ℎ < 165 17 3 ≤ 𝑚 < 3.5 20
165 ≤ ℎ < 170 5 3.5 ≤ 𝑚 < 4 12

(a) Represent the data in a cumulative frequency (a) Represent the data in a cumulative
diagram. frequency diagram.
(b) The shortest girl was 146 cm and the tallest (b) The lightest cat was 1.6 kg and the heaviest
was 168 cm. Draw a box plot for the data. was 3.9 kg. Draw a box plot for the data.
(c) Estimate the number of girls who were more (c) Estimate the number of cat who had a mass
than 163 cm tall. of more than 3.2 kg.

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3. The cumulative frequency graph shows some 160
information about the numbers of goals scored 140
by 160 players.
120
(a) Use this graph to find an estimate for
100
(i) the median, Cumulative
Frequency 80
(ii) the lower quartile.
60
(iii) the upper quartile
40
The lowest number of goals scored was 0
20
The highest number of goals scored was 32
0
(b) Draw a box plot to show information about 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
the numbers of goals scored. Number of goals

40

4. 40 boys each completed a puzzle.

The cumulative frequency graph below gives
Cumulative 30
information about the times it took them to frequency
complete the puzzle.
(a) Use the graph to find an estimate for the
20
median time.
The minimum time to complete the puzzle was 9
seconds and the maximum time to complete the
10
puzzle was 57 seconds.
(b) Use this information and the cumulative
frequency graph to draw a box plot showing
information about the boy’s times. O 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time in seconds
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Exam Style Question

200 students took a test.

The cumulative frequency graph gives information about their marks.

The lowest mark scored in the test was 10.

The highest mark scored in the test was 60.
Use this information and the cumulative frequency graph to draw a box plot showing information
about the students’ marks. 200
Cumulative
frequency

160

120

80
10 20 30 40 50 60
Mark

40

0
10 20 30 40 50 60
Mark

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Starter:

Try to match each cumulative frequency

graph to its box plot.

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 1e
2d
3f
4b
5c
6a

Starter:

Try to match each cumulative frequency

graph to its box plot.

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 Comparing Data
Sets
LO: To use charts and averages to compare sets of data.

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When asked to compare two sets of data, you should compare:

• one measure of average (i.e. mean, median or mode)

• one measure of spread (i.e. range or inter-quartile range)

Compare simply means state which one is bigger/smaller.

The values of each should be clear somewhere in your working.
You must also say what the bigger/smaller value means in terms of the context of the
question.

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Example 1
The total rainfall in a town over two months between 1957 and 2009 was recorded. Compare
the two sets of data.

The median is higher in May than Sept., so on average more

May Sept. rain fell in May.
Median 51 49
The interquartile range is greater in May than Sept. so the
UQ 78 74 rainfall is more varied in May.
LQ 26 33
IQR 52 41 RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
Example 2
Chloe did a survey on the amount of money that men spent shopping each week. The
frequency table shows her results.
Amount spent (£𝑥) Frequency
0 < 𝑥 ≤ 10 9
10 < 𝑥 ≤ 20 11
20 < 𝑥 ≤ 30 14
30 < 𝑥 ≤ 40 17
40 < 𝑥 ≤ 50 17
50 < 𝑥 ≤ 60 12
A similar survey of women gave a median of £42 and an interquartile range of £12.
Compare the amounts spent by women with the amounts spent by men.

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Draw a cumulative frequency graph

Use the graph to estimate the median (£34),

lower quartile (£20) and upper quartile (£45)

Work out the interquartile range

45 – 20 = £25

Men Women
Median £34 £42
IQR £25 £12

Compare:

The median is higher for the women, so on

average they spent more.

The interquartile range is higher for the men,

so there was more variation in the amount
the men spent.

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Exercise E 3. The box plot shows the sizes of secondary
schools in Dorset.
1. The box plots summarise the waiting times, to
the nearest minute, of a group of patients at the
doctor and the dentist.

The data for schools in Lancashire is: smallest

280. LQ 1100, median 1400, UQ 1600 and
largest 1820.
Compare the two distributions.
Compare the distribution of waiting times for the
doctor and dentist. 4. The table shows some data about the annual
salaries for 100 men and 100 women.
2. The box plots summarise the average length of a Men Women
phone call, to the nearest minute, made by two
groups of girls aged 13 and 17. Lowest £6500 £7000
LQ £16000 £14000
Median £20000 £16000
UQ £22000 £21500
Highest £44500 £33500

(a) Draw box plots to compare the data.

Compare the two distributions. (b) Compare the two distributions.

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5. A health practice had two doctors, Dr Khan and 6. The box plots for the noon temperature at two
Dr Collins. resorts, recorded over a year, are shown on the
The practice manager drew these box plots to graph below.
illustrate the waiting times for their patients
during October.

Anisha wants to go on holiday to one of the two

Anwar is deciding which doctor to see. Which one resorts. Which resort would you recommend and
would you advise he chooses? Give reasons to why?
support your answer.
7. The box plots summarise the reaction times of
a group of boys and girls.

Compare the two distributions.

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Exercise E - Answers

Question 1
The median waiting time is higher for the dentist (29 minutes) than the doctor (22 minutes), so on
average patients wait longer for the dentist.
The interquartile range is greater for the doctor, at 23 minutes, than the dentist, where it is 18 minutes.
So the waiting time is more varied for the doctor. (Or compare range)

Question 2
The median length of phone call was higher for the 17-year-olds (25 minutes) than the 13-year-olds (6
minutes), so on average 17-year-olds spent longer on the phone.
The range for the 17-year-olds (28 minutes) is much greater than the range for the 13-year-olds (15
minutes), so the length of phone calls is more varied for the 17-year-olds. (Or compare IQR)

Question 3
The schools in Lancashire have a higher median than for Dorset, so are larger on average.
The range of school size in Lancashire (1540) is higher than the range of school size in Dorset (840), so
school size is more variable in Lancashire. (Or compare IQR)

Question 4
(box plots)
The annual salaries for men have a higher median than for women, so they earn more on average.
The interquartile range of salaries for the women (£7500) is higher than for the men (£6000), so the
women’s salaries are more varied.

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Exercise E – Answers (continued)

Question 5
The wait time for Dr Khan has a lower median (17 minutes) than Dr Collins (24 minutes), showing
patients wait less time on average. The wait time is also more consistent for Dr Khan, as the IQR for Dr
Khan (9 minutes) is less than that for Dr Collins (12 minutes). He should choose Dr Khan.

Question 6
Resort B has a slightly higher median (22oC) than resort A (20.5oC), showing it is warmer on average. But
temperature at resort B is much more variable than resort A, with a range of 38oC compared to 27.5oC. I
would recommend resort B as it is only slightly less warm on average but with more consistent
temperatures.

Question 7
The median reaction time for the boys and girls is the same, at 0.56 seconds.
The range of reaction times for the girls (0.6 seconds) is higher than for the boys (0.49 seconds), so the
reactions of the girls are more varied. (Or compare IQR).

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Exam Style Question

Verity records the heights of the girls in her class.

The height of the shortest girl is 1.38 m.

The height of the tallest girl is 1.81 m.

The median height is 1.63 m.

The lower quartile is 1.54 m. 1.30 1.40 1.50 1.60 1.70 1.80 1.90
The interquartile range is 0.14 m.
Girls’ height (m)
(a) Draw a box plot for this information.

The incomplete box plot below shows information about the heights of the boys in Verity’s class.
(b) The median height for the boys was 1.58 m. Add this information to the box plot.

1.30 1.40 1.50 1.60 1.70 1.80 1.90

Girls’ height (m)

(c) Compare the distributions of the boys’ heights and the girls’ heights.

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Exam Style Question

Verity records the heights of the girls in her class.

The height of the shortest girl is 1.38 m.

The height of the tallest girl is 1.81 m.

The median height is 1.63 m.

The lower quartile is 1.54 m. 1.30 1.40 1.50 1.60 1.70 1.80 1.90
The interquartile range is 0.14 m.
Girls’ height (m)
(a) Draw a box plot for this information.

The incomplete box plot below shows information about the heights of the boys in Verity’s class.
(b) The median height for the boys was 1.58 m. Add this information to the box plot.

1.30 1.40 1.50 1.60 1.70 1.80 1.90

Girls’ height (m)

(c) Compare the distributions of the boys’ heights and the girls’ heights.

The median height for the boys (1.58) is smaller than the median for the girls (1.63), so on average the girls
were taller.

The range (0.43) for the girls is smaller than the range (0.55) for the boys, meaning there is less variation
in the girl’s heights.

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Starter:

The box plots show the heights of some students.

Richard says that the boys are taller than the girls.
(a) Is Richard correct? You must give a reason for your answer.

Richard says that the heights of the girls vary more than the heights of the boys.
(b) Is Richard correct? You must give a reason for your answer.

Richard says that half the boys are under 170 cm tall.
(c) Is Richard correct? You must give a reason for your answer.

Richard says that a quarter of the boys are taller than 180 cm.
(d) Is Richard correct? You must give a reason for your answer.

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 Histograms
LO: To represent data in a histogram and to use a
histogram to find frequencies.

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If you were instructing somebody on how to draw a bar chart, what ‘rules’ might you tell them?

Histograms look very similar to bar charts.

The differences are:
• the bars can have different widths
• the bars join up
• the frequency is measured by the area of the bar.

In a histogram the area of the bar represents the frequency.

We plot frequency density on the 𝑦-axis, NOT frequency

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Frequency = class width x frequency density

Example 1

The histogram shows the speeds of 125 cars along a main road.
(a) Use the histogram to complete the frequency column in the table.
(b) Find an estimate of the median speed.

60
45
10
10

(b) 125÷2 = 62.5

(2.5÷45) x 10 = 0.555…
Estimate 60.6 (mph)

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Exercise F 3. The histogram shows the ages of the trees in a
small wood.
1. From the histogram below, work out:
(a) how many lengths are in the interval 40-60 cm
(b) how many lengths are in the interval 30-40 cm
(c) the total frequency.

(a) How many trees were in the wood

altogether?
(b) Estimate the median age of a tree.
2. For the histogram below, find the total frequency.
4. One day a farmer weighs all the hens’ eggs
which he collects. The results are shown in the
histogram.

There were 8 eggs in the class 50-60 g. Find

the total number of eggs collected.

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Exercise F 3. The histogram shows the ages of the trees in a
small wood.
1. From the histogram below, work out:
10 (a) how many lengths are in the interval 40-60 cm 50
20 (b) how many lengths are in the interval 30-40 cm
65 (c) the total frequency. 30
10 30
5 10

(a) How many trees were in the wood

135
altogether?
(b) Estimate the median age of a tree. 80.8
2. For the histogram below, find the total frequency.
4. One day a farmer weighs all the hens’ eggs
which he collects. The results are shown in the
histogram.

46
28

There were 8 eggs in the class 50-60 g. Find

the total number of eggs collected.

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5. The London trains were always late, so one month a survey was undertaken to find how many trains
were late, and by how many minutes.
The results are illustrated by the histogram.

(a) Work out the number of trains in the survey.

(b) How many trains were delayed for longer than 15 minutes?
(c) Estimate the median number of minutes late.
(d) Estimate the mean number of minutes late.
(e) Estimate the lower quartile for the number of minutes late.

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5. The London trains were always late, so one month a survey was undertaken to find how many trains
were late, and by how many minutes.
The results are illustrated by the histogram.

(a) Work out the number of trains in the survey. 775

(b) How many trains were delayed for longer than 15 minutes? 400
(c) Estimate the median number of minutes late. 15.6 minutes
(d) Estimate the mean number of minutes late. 21.2 minutes
(e) Estimate the lower quartile for the number of minutes late. 7.29 minutes

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Exam Style Questions
Q2.
1.
The histogram shows some information about the
The histogram shows information about the times, in
weights of a sample of apples.
minutes, that some passengers had to wait at an
airport.

Work out the proportion of apples in the sample with a

weight between 140 grams and 200 grams.

Work out the percentage of the passengers who

had to wait for more than one hour.

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Q1.

Working Answer Mark Notes

Total area = (0.12 × 40) + 0.73 4 M1 for a method to find the frequency or the area of any one
Q2. (0.36 × 20) + (0.7 × 20) + block M1 for a method (with correct values) to find total area of
(0.56 × 20) + (0.18× 40) = all blocks or 44.4 or 1110 or
44.4 Area (140 < w < 200) a correct method (with correct values) to find total area of
= (0.36 × 20) + (0.7 × 20) + middle 3 blocks or 32.4 or 810 M1 (dep on M2) for a correct
(0.56 × 20) = 32.4 32.4 ÷ method to find required proportion
44.4 (could lead to a decimal or a percentage or a fraction)
A1 for answer which rounds to 0.73 or 73%
or 27⁄37 or equivalent fraction

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Starter:

This histogram shows the pulse rates of some of the members of a health club.

60 of the members have a pulse rate lower than 50 beats per minute.
How many members have a pulse rate greater than 90 beats per minute?

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

Starter:

This histogram shows the pulse rates of some of the members of a health club.

60 of the members have a pulse rate lower than 50 beats per minute.
How many members have a pulse rate greater than 90 beats per minute?

107 to nearest person

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 Drawing
Histograms
LO: To represent data in a histogram.

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

 Frequency density = frequency
class width
Example 2

Represent this data in a histogram.

3

Frequency density
2
2
2.7
2.8
2.2
1.4
1

0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

Exercise G Answers (pdf) 3. The amount spent by the first 100 customers in
a shop one Saturday was recorded.
1. The table gives information about the heights, h (a) Draw a histogram to show this information.
metres, of trees in a wood.
Draw a histogram to show this information. Amount spent, £a Frequency
Height (h metres) Frequency 0≤𝑎<5 6
0<h≤2 7
5 ≤ 𝑎 < 10 10
2<h≤4 14
4<h≤8 18 10 ≤ 𝑎 < 20 23
8 < h ≤ 16 24 20 ≤ 𝑎 < 40 29
16 < h ≤ 20 10
40 ≤ 𝑎 < 60 24
2. Tommy grows tomatoes.
The table shows some information about the 60 ≤ 𝑎 < 100 8
weight, w kg, of tomatoes produced by each (b) Estimate the median amount spent.
tomato plant.
(a) Draw a histogram to show this information. 4. Fred did a survey on the areas of pictures in a
Weight (w kg) Number of tomatoes newspaper.
The table gives information about the areas.
5 < w ≤ 10 8
Area (A cm2) Frequency
10 < w ≤ 12 15
0< A ≤ 10 38
12 < w ≤ 16 24 10 < A ≤ 25 36
16 < w ≤ 20 16 25 < A ≤ 40 30
40 < A ≤ 60 46
20 < w ≤ 25 10
Draw a histogram for the information given in the
(b) Work out an estimate for the number of
table.
tomato plants that produced more than 15 kg
of tomatoes.
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5. One summer, Monty monitored the mass of the 6. Batteries are tested by putting them into toys
tomatoes grown on each of his plants. His and seeing how long they last.
results are summarised in the table. The results of 60 tests are shown in the table on
Mass, 𝑚 (kg) Frequency the right.

6 ≤ 𝑚 < 10 8
10 ≤ 𝑚 < 12 18
12 ≤ 𝑚 < 16 28
16 ≤ 𝑚 < 20 16
20 ≤ 𝑚 < 25 10

(a) Draw a histogram for this distribution.

(b) Calculate an estimate for the median mass
of tomatoes the plants produced. (a) Draw a histogram to show this information.
(c) Calculate an estimate for the mean mass of (b) Estimate the median life of a battery.
tomatoes the plants produced.
(d) How many plants produced more than
15 kg of tomatoes?

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

Exam Style Question

The table shows the distribution of ages in a health club.

(a) Draw a histogram to illustrate the data.

(b) Members over 65 pay a reduced subscription.

Estimate how many members are over 65.

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

Exam Style Question

The table shows the distribution of ages in a health club.

f/cw
5
70
170
50
20 Using sf of 10, graph->table

(a) Draw a histogram to illustrate the data.

fd 16
(b) Members over 65 pay a reduced subscription. 14
Estimate how many members are over 65.
12
100 10
8
6
4
2

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Starter:
Complete the histogram
Starter

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

 Starter:
Complete the histogram
Starter

0.8-
0.7-
0.6-
0.5-
0.4- 0.5
0.3- 0.8
0.2- 0.6
0.1- 0.8
0

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 Histograms
LO: To use knowledge of histograms and frequency
densities to find frequencies and complete histograms.

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 Example 1

The incomplete table and histogram give some

Time t, mins Frequency
information about the lengths of phone calls Wendy 0≤t<1 17
made at work one day.
Use the information in the histogram to complete the 1≤t<4 21
table and use the table to complete the histogram. 4≤t<6 8
6≤t<10 12

Frequency density = frequency 10≤t<20 10

class width
17 = 17
20 1
3 x 7 = 21
12 = 3
Frequency Density

15 4
2x4=8
10 10 = 1
10
5

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (mins)
RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
Exercise H 2. The table and histogram below show the same
data for the heights of 100 adults.
1. The histogram and the table are both incomplete.
They represent the same information about the
ages of people living in a small village.

(a) Use the information in the histogram to Complete the table and the histogram
complete the frequency table.
(b) Complete the histogram.

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Exercise H 2. The table and histogram below show the same
data for the heights of 100 adults.
1. The histogram and the table are both incomplete.
They represent the same information about the
ages of people living in a small village. 17 28

30
60

(a) Use the information in the histogram to Complete the table and the histogram
complete the frequency table.
(b) Complete the histogram.

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Exam Style Question

The table and the histogram show some information

about the time, in minutes, taken by a group of
students to travel to college in one week.

(a) Use the histogram to complete the table.

(b) Use the table to complete the histogram.
(c) Work out an estimate for the median time.

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

Exam Style Question

The table and the histogram show some information

about the time, in minutes, taken by a group of
students to travel to college in one week.

45
60

(a) Use the histogram to complete the table.

(b) Use the table to complete the histogram.
(c) Work out an estimate for the median time. 41-43

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Example 2
The histogram shows some information about the salaries of a sample of people.
(a) Use the histogram to complete the frequency
table.

Salary (p) in £1000s Frequency

0 < p ≤ 10 4

10 < p ≤ 20 9
20 < p ≤ 25 8
25 < p ≤ 35 10
35 < p ≤ 50 12

(b) Work out the proportion of people in the

sample who have a salary greater than
£40 000.
Area: 10 × 0.8 = 8 so £8000
(c) Find an estimate for the median salary.
43 people, median is 22nd person
Up to 𝑝 = 25 there are 21 people, and 10 people in the 25 < 𝑝 ≤ 35 class
1
through this class will be 𝑝 = 26, so £26,000
10

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Exercise I
2. The histogram below shows the test scores of
1. The histogram below represents the heights of 320 children in a school.
plants, in cm, at a garden centre.

(a) How many plants are represented by the (a) Find the median score.
histogram?
(b) Find the interquartile range of the scores.
(b) Estimate the median height of the plants.
(c) Estimate the mean score.
(c) Estimate the lower quartile

(d) Estimate the mean height of the plants.

RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

Exercise I
2. The histogram below shows the test scores of
1. The histogram below represents the heights of 320 children in a school.
plants, in cm, at a garden centre.

(a) How many plants are represented by the 90 (a) Find the median score.
102
histogram?
(b) Find the interquartile range of the scores. 35
(b) Estimate the median height of the plants.
22 (c) Estimate the mean score. 104
(c) Estimate the lower quartile 16.5
(d) Estimate the mean height of the plants. 23.6

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Exam Style Questions
2. The histogram shows information about the areas of
1. Jim went on a fishing holiday. some farms.

The histogram shows some information about

the weights of the fish he caught.

90 of the farms have an area of 10 hectares or less.

60% of the farms with an area of 100 hectares or less
are arable farms.
1
of the farms with an area of more than 100 hectares
2
are arable farms.
Work out an estimate for the total number of arable
farms.
Jim kept all the fish he caught with a weight greater
than 2000 g.

(a) Find the ratio of the number of fish Jim kept to

the total number of fish he caught.

(b) Use the histogram to find an estimate of the

median.
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RUGBY HIGH SCHOOL - MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
Something to consider to finish with

It is essential in a histogram that there are no gaps between the class intervals. For
example, if three consecutive intervals were from 0–10 then 11–15, then 16–18, what
could you change the first two intervals to?

Does this mean that there will never be any gaps in the graph between two bars?

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