Join the Histogram Heroes as they turn messy number tables into clear stories. Their mission: organize data into intervals, build frequency tables, read histograms, and describe what the data means.
Look at the paces. It is hard to understand the story when every value is separate.
Scroll inside the box to see all 50 values.
Question: Which interval set is best for organizing these times?
The heroes count how many runner paces fall into each equal interval.
| Minutes to Run One Kilometer | Frequency | Plain-English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 4.5–4.9 | 13 | 13 students ran one kilometer in this pace range. |
| 5.0–5.4 | 20 | 20 students ran one kilometer in this pace range. |
| 5.5–5.9 | 12 | 12 students ran one kilometer in this pace range. |
| 6.0–6.4 | 5 | 5 students ran one kilometer in this pace range. |
A histogram uses bars to show how many data values are in each interval.
A dot plot shows individual values. A histogram groups many numerical values into intervals, which is useful for large data sets.
What does this mean in context?
| Plant Heights (cm) | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 9–10.9 | 3 |
| 11–12.9 | 4 |
| 13–14.9 | 10 |
| 15–16.9 | 5 |
| 17–18.9 | 3 |
The heroes sketch the histogram shape and notice the tallest bar is in the middle.
How can we describe the shape?
Answer both questions.
1. Group numerical data into equal, non-overlapping intervals.
2. Count each interval to make a frequency table.
3. Use a histogram to show the frequency distribution.
4. Look for the tallest bar to find the most common interval.
5. Describe the data in context.