Carillon Technologies Limited Histograms - Introduction

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Introduction

• A picture or graph is almost always easier to analyze than a set of numbers. This is especially true when a large amount of data has been collected.
• A picture that shows information will communicate better than numbers alone.
• The old saying is true "a picture is worth a thousand words".
• An excellent tool for presenting this picture of data in an easy-to-read format is the histogram.
• The histogram derives its name from the fact that it reports historical data.

Variation

You've heard the expression, "no two things are alike" For example, identical twins are not exactly identical.

• A general rule is that when we measure any group of things that are supposed to be alike, we will find differences.
• If we chart these differences or variations, the chart will form patterns that can be studied and interpreted.
• A histogram is a bar graph that displays these patterns of variation.

Histograms

What is a histogram? A histogram is a bar graph that charts the relationship between value and frequency (number of occurrences). What does the tool do? It gives us a picture of the frequency distribution or a bar graph of the number of occurrences.

How is it used?

1. To find abnormalities in the distribution.

2. To compare the values with standards or specifications.

3. To identify the sources of variability (look at the shape of the histogram).

On to Steps for Construction

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