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Class limits are the upper and lower bounds of a class interval in a frequency distribution. They are calculated by taking the smallest and largest values that fall in the class interval and adding or subtracting 0.5 to the result. For example, if a frequency distribution has a class interval of 15-20, the lower class limit would be 14.5 and the upper class limit would be 20.5. Class limits are important in order to accurately compare different classes in a frequency distribution.
In a frequency distribution, class limits represent the smallest and largest data values that can belong to each class.
Each class in a frequency distribution has a lower class limit and an upper class limit:
- Lower class limit: The smallest data value that can belong to a class.
- Upper class limit: The largest data value that can belong to a class.
The following examples show how to find class limits for different frequency distributions.
Example 1: Finding Class Limits in a Frequency Distribution
Suppose we have the following frequency distribution that represents the number of wins by different basketball teams:
The lower class limit is simply the smallest possible value in each class:
Conversely, the upper class limit is the largest possible value in each class:
Example 2: Finding Class Limits in a Frequency Distribution
Suppose we have the following frequency distribution:
The lower class limit is the smallest possible value in each class:
And the upper class limit is the largest possible value in each class:
