Histograms

Definition

A histogram is a graphical representation of data using bars of different heights. It shows the frequency distribution of a dataset and is used to visualize the shape and spread of continuous data.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Histograms display data in bins or intervals, with each bin representing a range of values.
2. The height of each bar in a histogram indicates the frequency or count of data points within that bin.
3. Histograms are useful for identifying patterns such as skewness, modality, and outliers in a dataset.
4. The x-axis on a histogram represents the intervals (bins) while the y-axis represents the frequency (count) of occurrences.
5. Unlike bar charts, histograms do not have gaps between the bars because they represent continuous data.

Review Questions

• What does each bar's height in a histogram represent?
• How are bins used in creating a histogram?
• What type of data is best visualized using a histogram?

Related terms

Bar Chart: A graphical representation using bars where each category is represented by one bar with gaps between them.

Frequency Distribution: A summary that shows how often each different value occurs in a dataset.

Continuous Data: Data that can take any value within a range and is often measured rather than counted.