Feb/Mar 2021 p52 q5
2487
A driver records the distance travelled in each of 150 journeys. These distances, correct to the nearest km, are summarised in the following table.
| Distance (km) | 0 – 4 | 5 – 10 | 11 – 20 | 21 – 30 | 31 – 40 | 41 – 60 |
| Frequency | 12 | 16 | 32 | 66 | 20 | 4 |
(a) Draw a cumulative frequency graph to illustrate the data.
(b) For 30% of these journeys the distance travelled is \(d\) km or more. Use your graph to estimate the value of \(d\).
(c) Calculate an estimate of the mean distance travelled for the 150 journeys.
Solution
(a) To draw the cumulative frequency graph:
- Calculate the cumulative frequencies: 12, 28, 60, 126, 146, 150.
- Plot these cumulative frequencies against the upper boundaries of the intervals: 4.5, 10.5, 20.5, 30.5, 40.5, 60.5.
- Draw a smooth curve through the points.
(b) To find \(d\) for 30% of journeys:
- Calculate 70% of 150: \(0.7 \times 150 = 105\).
- Find the distance corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 105 on the graph. \(d \approx 27 \text{ km}\).
(c) To calculate the mean distance:
- Find midpoints of each interval: 2.25, 7.5, 15.5, 25.5, 35.5, 50.5.
- Calculate the mean: \(\bar{x} = \frac{(2.25 \times 12) + (7.5 \times 16) + (15.5 \times 32) + (25.5 \times 66) + (35.5 \times 20) + (50.5 \times 4)}{150}\)
- \(\bar{x} = \frac{3238}{150} \approx 21.6 \text{ km}\).
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