Statistics is a mathematical tool widely used in various sectors of society, organizing research data and presenting clear and objective information. We will use an example to build a table of absolute frequency and relative frequency of a variable.
Example
People present at an automobile event were asked the following question: What is your favorite car brand?
| Peter: Ford | Bruna: Peugeot | Ante: Ford | Paul: Peugeot | Celio: Volks | Manoel: GM |
| Carlos: GM | Fred: Volks | Sergio: Fiat | Gilson: GM | Rui: Fiat | Claudia: Volks |
| Antonio: Fiat | Marcio: Volks | Marcelo: GM | Ana: Nissan | Geraldo: Volks | Rita: Ford |
| Peter: Ford | Alicia: Renault | Meire: GM | Flavio: Peugeot | Read: GM | Fabiano: Renault |
Building a table to better arrange the data:
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brands |
Absolute Frequency (FA) |
Relative Frequency (FR) |
Ford |
4 |
16,7% |
Fiat |
3 |
12,5% |
GM |
6 |
25% |
Nissan |
1 |
4,2% |
Peugeot |
3 |
12,5% |
Renault |
2 |
8,3% |
volks |
5 |
20,8% |
Total |
24 |
100% |
Absolute frequency: how many times each car brand was cited.
Relative frequency: given in percentage. The Ford brand has a relative frequency of 4 out of 24 or 4/24 or ~0.166 or 16.66% or 16.7%.
by Mark Noah
Graduated in Mathematics
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Marcos Noé Pedro da. "Application of Statistics: Absolute Frequency and Relative Frequency"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/matematica/aplicacao-estatistica-frequencia-absoluta-frequencia-.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
