Calculating descriptive statistics such as mean, median, and variance is easy, since Excel has functions for this purpose. Let’s look at something a little more complicated but a necessary tool in the statistician’s toolbox, the frequency distribution and its graphical comrade, the histogram. Creating a Histogram using Microsoft Excel.
In this video you can follow step by step instructions to add a histogram and frequency polygon to your EXCEL spreadsheet on a MAC.Thanks to Justin for creat.

Excel For Mac Relative Frequency Histogram Function
Excel For Mac Relative Frequency Histogram Template
Excel For Mac Relative Frequency Histogram Example
Excel For Mac Relative Frequency Histogram Calculator

The Importance of Histograms and Descriptive Statistics

The word “statistics” comes from the German word “stadt”. Stadt means “city” but in the 18^th century each city was a state in its own right. And the people who ran those states needed to have the facts. What is the population? What is the food production? How many men are available for the military? What is the birth rate? Information about the state came to be known as Statistics. In today’s complex world people do data mining, gather big data, and perform tests of statistical hypotheses. It is easy to forget that one of the primary tasks of statistics is purely descriptive.

Excel For Mac Relative Frequency Histogram Function

Excel for mac relative frequency histogram template

Calculating descriptive statistics such as mean, median, and variance is easy, since Excel has functions for this purpose. Let’s look at something a little more complicated but a necessary tool in the statistician’s toolbox, the frequency distribution and its graphical comrade, the histogram.

Creating a Histogram using Microsoft Excel

Excel Histogram template. Frequency Histogram and Relative Frequency Histogram, with analysis of normal distribution, and process capability analysis. And more Excel templates for lean six sigma quality improvement.

We’ll stick with the centuries-old tradition and gather some information about cities, starting with a table of income information about cities in the United States from the year 2009. We would like to observe the frequency distribution of median family incomes. The Excel data analysis toolpak has a nice dialog box for doing this automatically, but we’re going to take charge and do it ourselves using the FREQUENCY function.

We must first define the bins, which is to say the value ranges into which our data will be sorted. Generally this is done in a worksheet column, and Excel’s auto-fill feature makes this easy. In this example we will create bins from 10,000 to 170,0000 at increments of 5000.

Excel for mac relative frequency histogram function

Now we are ready to tabulate our frequency distribution. We highlight a second column next to our column of bin values. In the formula bar, we enter =FREQUENCY(. The first argument is the range containing our data. If you enter this range by highlighting it on the worksheet, be careful not to include the column heading. Only the data is highlighted. The second argument to FREQUENCY is the range containing the bin values. After entering the range in the formula bar close the parenthesis, but

Do not hit enter!
Highlight the range where the frequency results will appear and enter the frequency function.

Enter both the data ranges and the frequency bin range.

You’re almost ready but
Do not hit enter yet!

FREQUENCY if one of the many valuable Excel array functions. Mr. Excel calls them “CSE” functions, and this name is well chosen. The CSE acronym reminds us that you enter array functions not by hitting enter but by hitting <ctrl><shift><enter>. When you hit control-shift-enter, the formua will be entered in the highlighted cells. Note that in the formula bar, the function is now within curly braces. You cannot just type in these curly braces yourself. You must let Excel enter them after you type <ctrl><shift><enter>.

Now that we have our frequency distribution, it is impossible to resist creating a chart. The frequency range is already highlighted; we have only to click on “column chart” from Excel’s Insert ribbon tab. The chart looks OK, but we see that we will have to edit the horizontal axis label to reflect our frequency bins. We can right-click on the chart and choose “Select Data…” . Click the “Edit” button on the right-hand side, the side for the horizontal axis labels. Then enter the range containing the frequency bins.

Right-click the chart and choose “Select Data…” to edit the axis labels.

Excel For Mac Relative Frequency Histogram Template

After entering a title and choosing a style, we have our finished frequency histogram!

I hope you enjoyed my first Excel post! Stay tuned for my next one where we cover Standard Deviations.

Make a Histogram in Microsoft Excel 2016 for Mac

Excel For Mac Relative Frequency Histogram Example

A histogram displays the frequency values in a proportional graph.
You're going to need some data to work with. Here's the data used in the example below.. Type this into a blank worksheet:
Follow these steps to make a really great looking histogram.
1. Select any cell within the range of cells that includes the data.
2. Click the Inserttab on the Ribbon.
3. In the Charts group on the Ribbon, click the Recommended Charts button.
4. Choose Clustered Column chart type.
5. Click once on any of the columns measuring Value. In this example, the Value row is represented by the taller columns. Little round 'handles' will appear on all of the columns to indicate they are selected. Your chart should look something like this with the Value measure selected:
6. Press the Delete key. Values no longer display and Frequency columns remain visible. Now your chart should look like this:
7. Next, we need to put the proper values in the x-axis. From the Chart Design tab of the Ribbon click the Select Data button. The Select Source Data dialog opens. If you don't see the Chart Design tab in the Ribbon, you clicked away from the chart. Click anywhere on your chart to activate the Chart Design tab.
8. Note that the Horizontal (Category) axis labels field in the dialog is blank. We need to fill this in. Click the little button to the right of the empty field.
9. Drag over the cell range that has your values, but do not include the data label. Then press the Return key. Using our example, you would select the range B2:H2. Excel fills in the dialog box for you, but you might have to click into the empty field to get the display to refresh.
10. Click the OK button to close the Source Data dialog box.
11. You can click on the Frequency label and press delete if you want to tidy things up. Your finished chart will look about like this:

If you're making a histogram for a course, your instructor may be anal-retentive. If you're unfortunate enough to have one of these ultra-picky types, you're not done yet. To make your teacher happy you'll have to get rid of the gaps between the bars.
Here are the additional steps to take:
12. Click once on any of the columns so that they are all selected.
13. Right-click on a column and choose Format Data Series from the pop-up menu. The Format Data Series pane will open.
14. In the Format Data Series pane, adjust the Gap width to 0%
15. Click the OK button.