QUESTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

The table below shows the amount, to the nearest dollar, spent by a group of 40 students
at the school canteen during a period of one week.

Amount Spent Number of Cumulative

($) Students Frequency
1 – 10 3
11 – 20 7
21 – 30 9
31 – 40 11
41 – 50 8
51 - 60 2

(a) Copy and complete the table to show the cumulative frequency.
(2 marks)

(b) Using a scale of 1cm to represent $5 on the horizontal axis and 1cm to represent 5
students on the vertical axis, draw the cumulative frequency graph for the data.

(Marks will be awarded for axes appropriately labelled, points correctly plotted, and
a smooth curve carefully drawn.)
(5 marks)
QUESTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(c) Use your graph to estimate

(i) the median amount of money spent
(2 marks)

(ii) the probability that a student chosen at a random spent less than $23 during
the week.
(2 marks)

Show on your graph, using broken lines, how these estimates were determined.

Total 11 marks
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(a) Copy and complete the table to show the cumulative frequency.
(2 marks)

Amount Spent Number of Cumulative

($) Students Frequency
1 – 10 3 3
11 – 20 7 10
21 – 30 9 19
31 – 40 11 30
41 – 50 8 38
51 - 60 2 40
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(b) Using a scale of 1cm to represent $5 on the horizontal axis and 1cm to represent 5
students on the vertical axis, draw the cumulative frequency graph for the data.

(Marks will be awarded for axes appropriately labelled, points correctly plotted, and
a smooth curve carefully drawn.)
(5 marks)

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO PLOT A CUMULATIVE FREQUENCY CURVE. ONE METHOD
USES THE CUMULATIVE FREQUENCY AGAINST THE UPPER LIMIT OF EACH CLASS
INTERVAL AND THE OTHER USES THE CUMULATIVE FREQUENCY AGAINST THE UPPER
BOUNDARY OF EACH CLASS INTERVAL .

IF THE QUESTION HAS “NO MORE THAN” OR “MORE THAN” THEN WE PLOT THE
CUMULATIVE FREQUENCY AGAINST THE UPPER LIMIT OF EACH CLASS INTERVAL.

IF THE QUESTION HAS “LESS THAN” OR “ATLEAST” THEN WE PLOT THE CUMULATIVE
FREQUENCY AGAINST THE UPPER BOUNDARY OF EACH CLASS INTERVAL.

ALWAYS READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE QUESTION TO IDENTIFY WHICH METHOD TO USE
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(c) Use your graph to estimate

(i) the median amount of money spent
(2 marks)

(ii) the probability that a student chosen at a random spent less than $23 during
the week.
(2 marks)

Show on your graph, using broken lines, how these estimates were determined.

Total 11 marks

THEREFORE WE PLOT THE CUMULATIVE FREQUENCY AGAINST THE

UPPER BOUNDARY OF EACH CLASS INTERVAL.
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

Amount Spent Amount Spent Cumulative

($) Frequency
1 – 10 < 10.5 3
11 – 20 < 20.5 10
21 – 30 < 30.5 19
31 – 40 < 40.5 30
41 – 50 < 50.5 38
51 - 60 < 60.5 40
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7 Scale: 1cm to represent $5 on the horizontal axis and
1cm to represent 5 students on the vertical axis
45

40

35

30
Cumulative Frequency

25

20

15

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
Amount of Money Spent, $
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(c) Use your graph to estimate

(i) the median amount of money spent
(2 marks)

(ii) the probability that a student chosen at a random spent less than $23 during
the week.
(2 marks)

Show on your graph, using broken lines, how these estimates were determined.

Total 11 marks

(i) From the cumulative frequency curve:

Total number of students, n = 40 students
Half of the total frequency
1 1
= 2n = 2 x 40 students
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7 Scale: 1cm to represent $5 on the horizontal axis and
1cm to represent 5 students on the vertical axis
45

40

35

30
Cumulative Frequency

25

20

15

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
Amount of Money Spent, $
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(c) Use your graph to estimate

(i) the median amount of money spent
(2 marks)

(ii) the probability that a student chosen at a random spent less than $23 during
the week.
(2 marks)

Show on your graph, using broken lines, how these estimates were determined.

Total 11 marks

(i) From the cumulative frequency curve:

Total number of students, n = 40 students
Half of the total frequency
1 1
= 2n = 2 x 40 students = 20 students

∴ the median amount of money spent = $31

SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(c) Use your graph to estimate

(i) the median amount of money spent
(2 marks)

(ii) the probability that a student chosen at a random spent less than $23 during
the week.
(2 marks)

Show on your graph, using broken lines, how these estimates were determined.

Total 11 marks

(ii) From the cumulative frequency curve:

Number of students who spent less than $23
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7 Scale: 1cm to represent $5 on the horizontal axis and
1cm to represent 5 students on the vertical axis
45

40

35

30
Cumulative Frequency

25

20

15

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
Amount of Money Spent, $
SOLUTION: 2013 May-Jun Q7

(c) Use your graph to estimate

(i) the median amount of money spent
(2 marks)

(ii) the probability that a student chosen at a random spent less than $23 during
the week.
(2 marks)

Show on your graph, using broken lines, how these estimates were determined.

Total 11 marks

(ii) From the cumulative frequency curve:

Number of students who spent less than $23 = 12 students

12 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠
P(student spent < $23) = = 0.3
40 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠