Build your own histogram from raw data, then practice interpreting histograms from real-world situations. Designed for Grade 7 math.
A histogram groups numerical data into intervals, sometimes called bins. The height of each bar shows how many data values fall in that interval.
Bars touch because the intervals represent a continuous number line. This is different from a bar graph, where separate categories are compared.
Good questions to ask: Which interval has the greatest frequency? Where is the center of the data? Are there empty intervals? Is the distribution balanced or pulled toward one side?
Be careful: A histogram does not show every exact data value. If an interval says 20–29 has a frequency of 7, you know seven values are in that range, but not exactly what the seven values are.
In this activity, an interval written as 20–29 includes values from 20 up to, but not including, 30. The next interval begins at 30.
Questions may ask you to add frequencies from several bars, compare groups, estimate a typical range, or decide which claim can be supported by the histogram.