What is a Frequency Polygon in Statistics?
A visual representation of the frequency distribution of continuous data is the frequency polygon. Karl Pearson, an English statistician, made the initial presentation of it in the late 19th century. Based on the research of earlier statisticians like Francis Galton and Adolphe Quetelet, he put forth the idea. Its value comes from its capacity to graphically portray data, making understanding and analysis easier. They, therefore, serve as an important tool in statistics, assisting researchers in finding patterns and trends in huge data sets.
They are useful for showing data sets with numerous observations or values, which is one of their key features. The polygon represents the data distribution succinctly and clearly by splitting the data into equal intervals and charting the frequency of each container. As they take the shape of points that sit beyond the typical range of the distribution, they are also useful in finding outliers or abnormalities in the data set. Once more, this facilitates identifying and examining odd or unexpected data points.
Frequency Polygon Definition
Frequency polygons are a type of graphical data distribution that aids in recognizing the data by giving it a particular form. Although frequency polygons and histograms are quite similar, they are more effective when comparing two or more sets of data. As a line graph, the graph primarily shows data from the cumulative frequency distribution.
Formula to Find Midpoint of Frequency Polygons
If you want to plot a frequency polygon graph, you must figure out the midpoint or class mark for each of the class intervals. The following is the formula to achieve that:
Class Mark (Midpoint) = (Upper Limit + Lower Limit) / 2
Frequency Polygons in Statistics
Frequency Polygons in Statistics: A frequency polygon is a type of line graph where the frequencies of classes are plotted against their midpoints. This graphical representation closely resembles a histogram and is typically used for comparing data sets or showing cumulative frequency distributions. It uses a line graph to represent quantitative data.
Frequency polygons are one of the great methods to represent statistical data so that it can be read easily. In statistics, we deal with lots of data, and reading it quickly is necessary for solving statistical problems effectively.
Frequency polygons help us to achieve the same result. In this article, we will learn about frequency polygons, their formula, examples, and others in detail.
Table of Content
- What is a Frequency Polygon in Statistics?
- Frequency Polygon Graph
- Cumulative Frequency Polygon
- How to Draw Frequency Polygon?
- Histogram and Frequency Polygons
- Frequency Polygons Examples
- Frequency Polygons Are Used For – Applications