How Are Histograms Used in Statistics?

A histogram chart is a graphical representation of the distribution of data. The distribution of data is the way in which the data is spread out. The histogram will show the frequency of data points within a certain range. The histogram is used in statistics to help identify the distribution of data and to help find the median, mode, and range of the data. Below, we will further explore this important data visualization tool.

How Are Histograms Used in Statistics?

What is a histogram used for?

histogram

Histograms can be used to compare the distributions of two or more sets of data. They can also be used to determine the distribution of a set of data by looking at the shape of the histogram and the location of the median and the mode.

Additionally, the histogram can identify the center of a distribution, the spread of a distribution, and the shape of a distribution. The center of a distribution is the location where the majority of the data is located. The spread of a distribution is the distance from the center to the outermost points of the distribution. The shape of a distribution is determined by the height of the bars in the histogram and the shape of the curve.

How do you interpret histograms?

There are several ways to interpret histograms:

1. The shape of the histogram can give you an idea of the distribution of the data.

2. The center of the histogram can give you an idea of the typical value of the data.

3. The spread of the histogram can give you an idea of the variability of the data.

4. The shape and spread of the histogram can give you an idea of how the data is distributed.

The taller the histogram, the more data there is within that interval. The wider the histogram, the more variation there is in the data. The bars on a histogram can help you see the distribution of a data set. You can use this information to make decisions about how to collect data, how to analyze the data, and how to present the data.

How do you create a histogram?

To make a histogram, whether by hand or in a program like Excel, you first need to collect data. This data can be anything, from the number of people in your city to the number of times you’ve been to the gym this year. Once you have your data, you need to decide what range to use for the horizontal axis of your histogram. This range will be determined by the highest and lowest numbers in your data set.

Once you have your range, you need to divide it into intervals. The intervals will be uniform, meaning that each interval will be the same size. To create these intervals, you will need to determine the width of each interval. The width of each interval will be the size of the range divided by the number of intervals.

Now that you have your intervals, you can begin to graph your data. Draw a horizontal line across the middle of your first interval. This line will represent the median of your data set. Then, draw a vertical line up from the median to the top of the first interval. This line will represent the first quartile of your data set. Finally, draw a vertical line down from the median to the bottom of the first interval. This line will represent the third quartile of your data set.

Now that you have your first quartile, median, and third quartile, you can begin to fill in your histogram. Draw a bar above the median that extends to the first quartile. This bar will represent the upper quartile of your data set. Then, draw a bar below the median that extends to the third quartile. This bar will represent the lower quartile of your data set. Finally, draw a bar above the first quartile and below the third quartile. This bar will represent the range of your data set.

You can continue to fill in your histogram by drawing bars for each of the intervals. Be sure to label each bar with the frequency of data that it represents.

Overall, histograms are a useful statistical tool that helps visualize a data set, find the shape of the distribution, and find the center and spread of the data.

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

How Are Histograms Used in Statistics?