What is a Frequency Plot?
The frequency plots can be used to monitor the distribution of continuous data. A frequency plot shows the distributional information of a variable. It summarizes data by plotting the frequency of a certain value.
You can summarize data using frequency plots. This allows you to compare data to specifications and see how it is distributed. For example, is our data normally or irregularly distributed?
The frequency plot can reveal a great deal about a set of data or a particular process. The number of times the response variable occurs in each interval, for example, can be calculated. We can now create a graph consisting of response variables and frequencies.
How to Use a Frequency Plot?
The frequency plot is useful for examining the distribution of continuous data, and if it forms a certain shape or cluster (for instance the well-known normal curve (bell-shaped), or alternatively two peaks).
The horizontal axis in a plot of frequency shows groups (say, age bands 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, etc.) of continuous measures (e.g. The vertical axis displays the frequency of a particular value.
Histogram is the term used to describe a graph that uses vertical bars in each grouping for continuous measurement. The term histogram is only used when plotting continuous data or activity data. Rearranging the bars in a histogram is not logical because they represent groups on a continuous scale.
We use a similar graph for categories that are mutually exclusive – the bar charts. The categories are not grouped together as in a histogram. Instead, they are placed along the horizontal axis. The vertical bars of a bar graph can be rearranged, as each category is independent.
Pareto charts are called bar charts when the categories are arranged by frequency. The Pareto chart is particularly useful for determining where improvement efforts should be concentrated.
Dot Plot is the name given to a graph that uses dots for each observation in a grouping. Dot plots are a good alternative to histograms or bar charts. Dot plots work best when there are a limited number of options and occurrences on the horizontal axis.
Benefits of Frequency plots
- It is easy to view a lot of data in a graphic manner.
- The data is displayed in the form of the center, shape, and range.
- The frequency plots can also be used to locate data in relation to process specifications or target values.
- It is a useful tool for predicting the performance of a process.
