What is a histogram?

A histogram is a bar graph that shows the frequency distribution of a continuous variable. It divides the range of the variable into a number of intervals (bins) and then counts the number of data points that fall into each bin. The height of each bar in the histogram represents the number of data points that fall into that particular bin.

The x-axis of the histogram shows the value of the random numbers, and the y-axis shows the frequency of each value. For example, the bar at x = 0.5 has a height of about 50, which means that there are about 50 random numbers in the dataset that have a value of around 0.5.

Histograms are a useful tool for visually exploring the distribution of a dataset. They can help you to see if the data is normally distributed, if there are any outliers, and if there are any other interesting patterns in the data.

Here's an example:

Imagine you have a bunch of socks of different colors, and you want to understand how many of each color you have. You could count them individually, but a quicker way is to group them by color and then count each pile. A histogram works similarly, but for numerical data.

Here's a breakdown:

1. Grouping Numbers:

  • Imagine a bunch of data points representing things like heights, test scores, or reaction times.
  • A histogram takes this data and divides it into ranges, like grouping socks by color. These ranges are called "bins."

2. Counting Within Bins:

  • Just like counting the number of socks in each pile, a histogram counts how many data points fall within each bin.

3. Visualizing the Distribution:

  • Instead of just numbers, a histogram uses bars to represent the counts for each bin. The higher the bar, the more data points fall within that range.

4. Understanding the Data:

  • By looking at the histogram, you can see how the data is spread out. Is it mostly clustered in the middle, or are there many extreme values (outliers)?
  • It's like having a quick snapshot of the overall pattern in your data, similar to how seeing the piles of socks helps you understand their color distribution.

Key things to remember:

  • Histograms are for continuous data, like heights or test scores, not categories like colors.
  • The number and size of bins can affect the shape of the histogram, so it's important to choose them carefully.
  • Histograms are a great way to get a quick overview of your data and identify any interesting patterns or outliers.
Follow the author: Statistics Supporter
Promotions
verzekering studeren in het buitenland

Ga jij binnenkort studeren in het buitenland?
Regel je zorg- en reisverzekering via JoHo!

Comments & Kudos

Add new contribution

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
Supporting content
What is a bar chart?

What is a bar chart?

A bar chart is a way to visually represent data, but it's specifically designed for categorical data. Imagine you have a collection of objects sorted into different groups, like the colors of your socks or the flavors of ice cream in a carton. A bar chart helps you see how many objects belong to each group.

Here's a breakdown:

1. Categories on the Bottom:

  • The bottom of the chart shows the different categories your data belongs to, like "red socks," "blue socks," etc. These categories are often represented by
...
Understanding data: distributions, connections and gatherings
Access level of this page
  • Public
  • WorldSupporters only
  • JoHo members
  • Private
Statistics
[totalcount]