2.2.4 Relative frequency distribution tables
Relative frequency distribution is another type of frequency distribution. This type of distribution tells us the proportion of each value or class interval of a variable in a sample. In other words, relative frequency distribution describes the number of times a particular value occurs in relation to the total number of values. You can use this type of frequency distribution for any type of variable when you are more interested in comparing frequencies than the actual number of observations.
For example, Team A has won 6 football games from a total of 12 football games played. The frequency of winning is 6 and the relative frequency of winning is 50% (i.e. 60/12=0.5).
You will learn how to make a relative frequency table in Excel in the following activity.
Activity 4: How to make a relative frequency table in Excel
In this activity, you will build a relative frequency table using the ungrouped frequency distribution table from Activity 2. Use the ungrouped frequency table that you made in the previous activities.
Use the file JC Electrics template, sheet Relative frequency table. In Column D insert the name Relative Frequency. Data in Columns A, B and C is the same as calculated for the Ungrouped frequency table. In Column C, Cell C14 insert the formula =SUM(C5:C13). This will calculate the sum of all frequencies calculated. The returned value is 24.
In Column D, Cell D5 insert formula =C5/$C$14. The returned value is 0.166666667. If you prefer to see this value in percentages, you can select the cells in column D, right mouse click, select Format Cells, followed by Percentages. For a decimal place of value 2, it will return a value for the relative frequency as 16.66%. If this value is rounded up, the relative frequency in this case is 17%.
You can use the same formula to continue calculate the relative frequency.
Once you have made the relative frequency distribution table in Excel, check your answer by clicking ‘Reveal discussion’ below.
The ungrouped frequency distribution table consists of three columns. Column A is labelled ‘Generators’, Column B is labelled ‘Generators’ and Column C is labelled ‘Frequency’. Add a fourth column to the table for the Relative Frequency.
To calculate the relative frequencies, you need to divide each frequency by the sample size (frequency / sample size). You can calculate the sample size by taking the sum of all the frequencies in Column C, which is 24.
- Check your answers in the Excel file JC Electrics (solved).
Optional: As further practice, you can now use the data for the other two products from JC Electrics 1 (Electric motors and Transformers) to identify the relative frequency of products sold. You can check your answer in the Excel files: JC Electrics (solved) Electric motors and JC Electrics (solved) Transformers.
Discussion
We calculate the relative frequency table whenever we are interested in knowing what proportion or percentage of the observations in a data set take on a certain value or fall within a range of values. Any error in the calculation may lead a business to make the wrong decision based on faulty information.
In the next section, you will learn how to make cumulative frequency distribution tables in Excel.
OpenLearn - Data analysis: visualisations in Excel 
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