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The value of a subtotal in a two-way table is called a frequency.
relative frequency
We want to complete the following statement.
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The __________ in a two-way table is the ratio of the value of a subtotal to the value of the total. |
Let's remember that we use a two-way table to summarize the results of a two-question survey. Consider an example. In a survey 1000 respondents were asked if they are on a diet and if they smoke.
| On a Diet | Not on a Diet | |
|---|---|---|
| Smokes | 30 | 40 |
| Does Not Smoke | 160 | 770 |
In each of the cells we wrote the number of people that responded in this way. This number can also be called a frequency. Now, if we divide the frequencies by the total number of respondents, we will know what percentage of people responded in a given way.
| On a Diet | Not on a Diet | |
|---|---|---|
| Smokes | 30/1000=0.03 | 40/1000= 0.04 |
| Does Not Smoke | 160/1000=0.16 | 770/1000=0.77 |
Since we are dividing the value of a subtotal by the total number of respondents, the result is a relative frequency. The word relative
means that we are considering a number, in this case a frequency, in proportion to the total. Let's fill in the statement.
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The relative frequency in a two-way table is the ratio of the value of a subtotal to the value of the total. |
