Using Frequencies to Study Scale Data

For each account, you've also kept track of the amount of the last sale, in thousands. You can use Frequencies to study the distribution of purchases.

Running the analysis

  1. To summarize the amounts of the last sales, from the menus choose:

    Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Frequencies...

    Figure 1. Frequencies main dialog box
    Frequencies main dialog box with Amount of Last Sale selected as an analysis variable
  2. Click Reset to restore the default settings.
  3. Select Amount of Last Sale as an analysis variable.
  4. Deselect Display frequency tables.
  5. Click OK in the warning dialog box that indicates you have turned off all output.

    It is a good idea to turn off the display of frequency tables for scale data because scale variables usually have many different values.

  6. Click Statistics in the Frequencies dialog box.
    Figure 2. Frequencies Statistics dialog box
    Frequencies Statistics dialog box
  7. Check Quartiles, Std. deviation, Minimum, Maximum, Mean, Median, Skewness, and Kurtosis.
  8. Click Continue.
  9. Click Charts in the Frequencies dialog box.
  10. In the Charts dialog, select Histograms.
  11. Select With normal curve.
  12. Click Continue.
  13. Click OK in the Frequencies dialog box.

Next