AP Statistics Flashcards: Representing a Categorical Variable with Tables
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
A survey of 50 people finds that 15 prefer Brand A. How would you represent this in a relative frequency table?
The relative frequency for Brand A would be 15/50, which is a proportion of 0.30 or 30%.
Card 1 of 10
All Flashcards (10)
A survey of 50 people finds that 15 prefer Brand A. How would you represent this in a relative frequency table?
The relative frequency for Brand A would be 15/50, which is a proportion of 0.30 or 30%.
What is a relative frequency table?
A relative frequency table is a way to represent categorical data that shows the proportion or percentage of observations for each category.
What is a frequency table?
A frequency table is a way to represent categorical data that shows the counts of observations for each category.
A political analyst claims that a candidate has the support of a majority of voters in a district. What data from a table would be needed to justify this claim?
To justify the claim, the relative frequency (or percentage) for that candidate in the table must be greater than 0.50 (or 50%).
What type of data is represented in a frequency or relative frequency table?
Frequency and relative frequency tables are used to represent categorical data.
How can you use a frequency table to describe categorical data?
You can describe categorical data from a frequency table by reporting the counts for each category and identifying which categories have the highest or lowest counts.
What is the primary difference between the information presented in a frequency table versus a relative frequency table?
A frequency table shows the raw counts for each category, while a relative frequency table shows the proportion or percentage for each category relative to the total.
Besides proportions, what are three other terms that provide the same kind of information as a relative frequency?
Percentages, relative frequencies, and rates all provide the same type of information as proportions.
What are two common tabular methods for representing categorical data?
Categorical data can be represented using either frequency tables (showing counts) or relative frequency tables (showing proportions).
What is the ultimate purpose of using counts and relative frequencies from tables?
The counts and relative frequencies of categorical data are used to describe the data and justify claims about it in a given context.