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Classification of Data

Classified data

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20 views3 pages

Classification of Data

Classified data

Uploaded by

gathungwadavis2
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CLASSIFICATION OF DATA

Connor defined classification as: “the process of arranging things in groups or classes
according to their resemblances and affinities and gives expression to the unity of
attributes that may subsist amongst a diversity of individuals”.
The raw data, collected in real situations and arranged haphazardly, do not give a clear
picture.
Thus to locate similarities and reduce mental strain we resort to classification.
Classification condenses the data by dropping out unnecessary details. It facilitates
comparison between different sets of data clearly showing the different points of
agreement and disagreement. It enables us to study the relationship between several
characteristics and make further statistical treatment like tabulation, etc.
During population census, people in the country are classified according to sex
(males/females), marital status (married/unmarried), place of residence (rural/urban), Age
(0–5 years, 6–
10 years, 11–15 years, etc.), profession (agriculture, production, commerce, transport,
doctor, others), residence in states (West Bengal, Bihar, Mumbai, Delhi, etc.), etc.
PRIMARY RULES OF CLASSIFICATION

In quantitative classification, we classify data by assigning arbitrary limits called


Class-limits
. The group between any two class-limits is termed as class or class-interval
. The primary rules of classification are given below:
(i) There should not be any ambiguity in the definition of classes. It will eliminate all
doubts while including a particular item in a class.
(ii) All the classes should preferably have equal width or length. Only in some special
cases, we use classes of unequal width.
(iii) The class-limits (integral or fractional) should be selected in such a way that no value
of the item in the raw data coincides with the value of the limit.
(iv) The number of classes should preferably be between 10 and 20, i.e., neither too large
nor too small.
(v) The classes should be exhaustive, i.e., each value of the raw data should be included
in them.
(vi) The classes should be mutually exclusive and non-overlapping, i.e., each item of the
raw data should fit only in one class.
(vii) The classification must be suitable for the object of inquiry.
(viii) The classification should be flexible and items included in each class must be
homogeneous.
(ix) Width of class-interval is determined by first fixing the no. of class-intervals and then
di-viding the total range by that number.
QUANTITATIVE CLASSIFICATION:

This kind of classification refers to classification that is based on figures or in other


words, which is based on such characteristics which are capable of quantitative
measurement like height, weight, income, marks obtained etc. To understand this
classification clearly here is an example in which the number of schools has been shown
according to the enrolment of students in the school. Schools with enrolment varying in a
specified range are grouped together, e.g. there are 15 schools where the students enrolled
are any number between 51 and 100. As the grouping is based on numbers, such data are
called Numerical or Quantitative Data.
Thus, numerical or quantitative data result from counting or measuring. We frequently
come across numerical data in newspapers, advertisements etc. related to the temperature
of the cities, cricket averages, incomes, expenditures and so on.
Hence this classification is often called ‘classification by variables’.
(a)Variable:
A variable in statistics means any measurable characteristic or quantity which can assume
a range of numerical values within certain limits, e.g., income, height, age, weight, wage,
price, etc. A variable can be classified as either discrete or continuous.
(1)Discrete variable:
A variable which can take up only exact values and not any fractional values is called a
‘discrete’ variable. Number of workmen in a factory, members of family, students in a
class, number of births in a certain year, number of telephone calls in a month, etc., are
examples of discrete-variable.
(2)Continuous variable:
A variable which can take up any numerical value (integral/fractional) within a certain
range is called a ‘continuous’ variable. Height, weight, rainfall, time, temperature, etc.,
are examples of continuous variables. Age of students in a school is a continuous variable
as it can be measured to the nearest fraction of time, i.e., years, months, days, etc.
(iii)Temporal classification:
It is done according to time, e.g., index numbers arranged over a period of time,
population of a country for several decades, exports and imports of India for different
five year plans, etc.
(iv) Spatial classification:
It is done with respect to space or places, e.g., production of cereals in quintals in various
states, population of a country according to states, etc.
Example
there are 15 schools where the students enrolled are any number between 51 and
100. As the grouping is based on numbers, such data are called
Numerical or Quantitative Data.
Thus, numerical or quantitative data result from counting or measuring. We
frequently come across numerical data in newspapers, advertisements etc. related
to the temperature of the cities, cricket averages, incomes, expenditures and so on.

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