Creating a Frequency Table

Take a look at the table of measurements. As you can see the length of 50 bolts was measured. The bolts are supposed to be 1 inch. You will notice that there is a variation in their length. The question is: Is there too much variation in the length of the bolts?

The first step is to round off the numbers in the table of measurements to the nearest hundredth. The reason for rounding off the numbers is that the instrument that were used to measure the lengths are only accurate to the nearest hundreth. So, even if we have numbers that seem more precise, they really are not. As you record your answers, you can also fill in the blanks in the table of measurements on the reference sheet. When you are done, press the "Check Answers" button, and the computer will tell you how well you did. Try to get all the numbers right.

When you have rounded the numbers off, you can proceed to the frequency table. Count the number of bolts in each interval and fill in the table. Again, the computer will tell you when you have everything correct.

When the frequency table is ready, you have the necessary data to begin using the TI 82/83 to answer the question: Is there too much variation in the length of the bolts? The first step in answering the question is creating a histogram.