Calculate the relative frequency for each number of potholes by dividing its frequency by the total number of stretches (35).
Round each relative frequency to two decimal places.
Present the relative frequencies in a table.
The relative frequencies are approximately: 0.29, 0.17, 0.17, 0.11, 0.06, 0.11, 0.09.
Explanation
Understand the problem and provided data We are given a frequency distribution for the number of potholes on 35 randomly selected 1-mile stretches of highway. Our goal is to construct a relative frequency distribution. The relative frequency for each number of potholes is calculated by dividing its frequency by the total number of stretches, which is 35. We need to round the relative frequencies to two decimal places.
Calculate the relative frequencies To find the relative frequency for each number of potholes, we will divide the frequency by the total number of stretches (35) and round to two decimal places.
For 1 pothole: 35 10 ≈ 0.29 For 2 potholes: 35 6 ≈ 0.17 For 3 potholes: 35 6 ≈ 0.17 For 4 potholes: 35 4 ≈ 0.11 For 5 potholes: 35 2 ≈ 0.06 For 6 potholes: 35 4 ≈ 0.11 For 7 potholes: 35 3 ≈ 0.09
Present the relative frequency distribution Now, we present the relative frequency distribution in a table:
Potholes
Relative Frequency
1
0.29
2
0.17
3
0.17
4
0.11
5
0.06
6
0.11
7
0.09
Examples
Relative frequency distributions are useful in many real-world scenarios. For example, a traffic engineer might use a relative frequency distribution of accident types to identify the most common causes of accidents on a particular road. This information can then be used to develop strategies to reduce the number of accidents. Similarly, a store manager might use a relative frequency distribution of customer purchase amounts to understand the spending habits of their customers. This information can be used to optimize pricing and promotions.