SSC201: STATISTICAL METHODS AND SOURCE 1

Department of Economics
Faculty of Social Sciences
Obafemi Awolowo University
Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Topic 5: Measures of Partition

These are measures that divide a distribution into a specified number of parts. They are also called
quantiles/fractiles. Examples include quartiles, deciles and percentiles.

1. Quartiles

As the name suggest, this deals with the division of a distribution into 4 equal parts. The first quartile is
known as the lower quartile, Q1, and it is ¼ of a distribution. The second quartile, Q2, is the division of a
distribution into two equal parts usually referred to as the median and it is ½ (2/4) of a distribution. The
third quartile, Q3, is known as the upper quartile and it is ¾ of a distribution.

Case A: Ungrouped data (individual observations and Discrete Series)

For an ungrouped data, the upper (Q3) and the lower (Q1) quartiles can be calculated as follows:

𝑸𝟏 = 𝟏⁄𝟒 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

𝑸𝟑 = 𝟑⁄𝟒 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

Note: 𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 for a discrete series.

Illustration

1. Given the series, 3, 4, 1, 2, 7, 12 and 5. Find the lower and upper quartiles.

Solution

Re-arranging the data: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12

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 a. 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 7; 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (7 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (8)𝑡ℎ term = 2nd item of the distribution
𝑄1 = 2
b. 𝑄3 = 3⁄4 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 7; 𝑄3 = 3⁄4 (7 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑄1 = 3⁄4 (8)𝑡ℎ term = 6th item of the distribution
𝑄3 = 7

2. Find Q1 and Q3 from the following distribution; 1, 5, 3, 6, 9, and 8.

Solution

Re-arranging the data: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9

a. 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 6; 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (6 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (7)𝑡ℎ term = 1.75th item of the distribution.
The first (lower) quartile falls between the 1st and 2nd items of the distribution, that is, 1 and 3.
𝑄1 = 1st value + 0.75 of the distance between the 1st and 2nd values.
𝑄1 = 1 + 0.75(3 − 1) = 1 + 1.5 = 2.5
b. 𝑄3 = 3⁄4 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 6; 𝑄3 = 3⁄4 (6 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑄1 = 3⁄4 (7)𝑡ℎ term = 5.25th item of the distribution
The third (upper) quartile falls between the 5th and 6th items of the distribution, that is, 8 and 9.
𝑄3 = 8th value + 0.25 of the distance between the 5th and 6th values.
𝑄3 = 8 + 0.25(9 − 8) = 8 + 0.25 = 8.25
3. Obtain the lower and upper quartiles from the distribution below.

x 10 15 20 30 40 50
f 3 2 5 1 4 6

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 Solution

To obtain the quartiles, we need the cumulative frequency.

x f CF
10 3 3
15 2 5
20 5 10
30 1 11
40 4 15
50 6 21
Total ∑ 𝒇 = 𝟐𝟏

a. 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 = 21; 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (21 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑄1 = 1⁄4 (22)𝑡ℎ term = 5.5th item of the
distribution.
𝑄1 = 20 (it falls within the third CF)
b. 𝑄3 = 3⁄4 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 = 21; 𝑄3 = 3⁄4 (21 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑄1 = 3⁄4 (22)𝑡ℎ term = 16.5th item of the
distribution
𝑄3 = 50 (it falls within the last CF)

Case B: Grouped data (Continuous Series)

To compute the lower and upper quartiles for a continuous series, the procedure is similar to the one used
in calculating the media. The lower and upper quartiles can be calculated as follows:

𝑵⁄ − 𝑪𝑭
𝑸𝟏 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ 𝟒
𝑸𝟏
]𝒄
𝑭 𝑸𝟏

where Lc is the lower-class boundary of the first quartile class

N is the sum of the frequency, that is, ∑ 𝑓

𝐶𝐹𝑄1 is the cumulative frequency of the class before the first quartile class

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 𝐹𝑄1 is the frequency of the first quartile class

c is the class size of the quartile class

𝑁⁄ is used to determine the first quartile class

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𝟑𝑵⁄ − 𝑪𝑭
𝑸𝟑 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ 𝟒 𝑸𝟑
]𝒄
𝑭 𝑸𝟑

where Lc is the lower-class boundary of the third quartile class

N is the sum of the frequency, that is, ∑ 𝑓

𝐶𝐹𝑄3 is the cumulative frequency of the class before the third quartile class

𝐹𝑄3 is the frequency of the third quartile class

3𝑁⁄ is used to determine the third quartile class

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Illustration

Given the table below, compute Q1 and Q3.

Class Interval 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50

Frequency 3 8 15 9 5

Solution

Class Interval f CF Class Boundary

1-10 3 3 0.5-10.5
11-20 8 11 10.5-20.5
21-30 15 26 20.5-30.5
31-40 9 35 30.5-40.5
41-50 5 5 40.5-50.5
Total ∑ 𝒇 = 𝟒𝟎

𝑵⁄ −𝑪𝑭
𝟒 𝑸𝟏
a. 𝑸𝟏 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ ]𝒄
𝑭𝑸𝟏

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 ∑ 𝑓⁄ 40
We first obtain the quartile class, 𝑁⁄4 = 4 = ⁄4 = 10𝑡ℎ item of the distribution.

The quartile class, 𝑁⁄4, is 11-20 (it falls within the second CF)

Lc = 10.5; 𝐶𝐹𝑄1 = 3; 𝐹𝑄1 = 8; 𝑐 = 20.5 − 10.5 = 10

40⁄ −3 10−3 7
4
𝑄1 = 10.5 + [ ] 10; 𝑄1 = 10.5 + [ ] 10; 𝑄1 = 10.5 + [8] 10
8 8

𝑄1 = 10.5 + 8.75 = 19.25

𝟑𝑵⁄ −𝑪𝑭
𝟒 𝑸𝟑
b. 𝑸𝟑 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ ]𝒄
𝑭𝑸𝟑

3 ∑ 𝑓⁄ 3(40)⁄
We first obtain the quartile class, 3𝑁⁄4 = 4= 4 = 30𝑡ℎ item of the distribution.

The quartile class, 3 𝑁⁄4, is 31-40 (it falls within the second to the last CF)

Lc = 30.5; 𝐶𝐹𝑄3 = 26; 𝐹𝑄3 = 9; 𝑐 = 40.5 − 30.5 = 10

3(40)⁄
4−26 30−26 4
𝑄3 = 30.5 + [ ] 10; 𝑄3 = 30.5 + [ ] 10; 𝑄3 = 30.5 + [9] 10
9 9

𝑄3 = 30.5 + 4.44 = 34.94

2. Deciles

Deciles are measures of partition that divide a distribution into 10 equal parts. A decile is any of the nine
values that divide the sorted data into ten equal parts, so that each part represents 1/10 of the distribution.
D1, D2, D3,… D9 represent the first, second, third …and nineth deciles. Note: the 5th decile represents the
median of a distribution.

Case A: Ungrouped data (individual observations and Discrete Series)

For an ungrouped data, the first (D1), second (D2), third(D3) …. and nineth (D9) deciles can be calculated
as follows:

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 𝑫𝟏 = 𝟏⁄𝟏𝟎 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

𝑫𝟐 = 𝟐⁄𝟏𝟎 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

𝑫𝟑 = 𝟑⁄𝟏𝟎 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

𝑫𝟗 = 𝟗⁄𝟏𝟎 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

The ith decile is given as:

𝑫𝒊 = 𝒊⁄𝟏𝟎 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

where i=1,2,3,…9

Note: 𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 for a discrete series.

Illustration

1. Given the series, 6, 9, 3, 8, 7, 10 and 5. Find D4 and D6.

Solution

Re-arranging the data: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

a. 𝐷4 = 4⁄10 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 7; 𝐷4 = 4⁄10 (7 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝐷4 = 4⁄10 (8)𝑡ℎ term = 3.2nd item of the distribution
The fourth (D4) decile falls between the 3rd and 4th items of the distribution, that is, 6 and 7.
𝐷4 = 3rd value + 0.2 of the distance between the 3rd and 4th values.
𝐷4 = 6 + 0.2(6 − 7) = 6 + 0.2 = 6.2
b. 𝐷6 = 6⁄10 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 7; 𝐷6 = 6⁄10 (7 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝐷6 = 6⁄10 (8)𝑡ℎ term = 4.8th item of the distribution

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 The sixth (D6) decile falls between the 4th and 5th items of the distribution, that is, 7 and 8.
𝐷6 = 4th value + 0.8 of the distance between the 7th and 8th values.
𝐷6 = 7 + 0.8(8 − 7) = 7 + 0.8 = 7.8
2. Obtain the third and the nineth deciles from the distribution below.

x 10 15 20 30 40 50
f 3 2 5 1 4 6

Solution

To obtain the deciles, we need the cumulative frequency.

X f CF
10 3 3
15 2 5
20 5 10
30 1 11
40 4 15
50 6 21
Total ∑ 𝒇 = 𝟐𝟏

a. 𝐷3 = 3⁄10 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 = 21; 𝐷3 = 3⁄10 (21 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝐷3 = 3⁄10 (22)𝑡ℎ term = 6.6th item of the
distribution.
𝐷3 = 20 (it falls within the third CF)
b. 𝐷9 = 9⁄10 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 = 21; 𝐷9 = 9⁄10 (21 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝐷9 = 9⁄10 (22)𝑡ℎ term = 19.8th item of the
distribution.
𝐷9 = 50 (it falls within the last CF)

Case B: Grouped data (Continuous Series)

To compute the deciles for a continuous series, the procedure is similar to the one used in calculating the
media. Generally, the deciles can be calculated as follows:

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 𝒊𝑵⁄ − 𝑪𝑭
𝑫𝒊 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ 𝟏𝟎 𝑫𝒊
]𝒄
𝑭𝑫𝒊

where “i” represents the deciles to be calculated, that is, i=1,2,3, …, 9

Lc is the lower-class boundary of the decile class

N is the sum of the frequency, that is, ∑ 𝑓

𝐶𝐹𝐷𝑖 is the cumulative frequency of the class before the decile class

𝐹𝐷𝑖 is the frequency of the decile class

c is the class size of the decile class

𝑖𝑁⁄ is used to determine the decile class

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Illustration

Given the table below, compute D4 and D7.

Class Interval 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50

Frequency 3 8 15 9 5

Solution

Class Interval f CF Class Boundary

1-10 3 3 0.5-10.5
11-20 8 11 10.5-20.5
21-30 15 26 20.5-30.5
31-40 9 35 30.5-40.5
41-50 5 5 40.5-50.5
Total ∑ 𝒇 = 𝟒𝟎

𝟒𝑵⁄ −𝑪𝑭
𝟏𝟎 𝑫𝟒
a. 𝑫𝟒 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ ]𝒄
𝑭𝑫𝟒

4 ∑ 𝑓⁄ 40
We first obtain the decile class, 4𝑁⁄10 = 10 = 4( ⁄10) = 16𝑡ℎ item of the distribution.

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The fourth decile class, 4𝑁⁄10, is 21-30 (it falls within the third CF)

Lc = 20.5; 𝐶𝐹𝐷4 = 11; 𝐹𝐷4 = 15; 𝑐 = 30.5 − 20.5 = 10

16−11 5
𝐷4 = 20.5 + [ ] 10; 𝐷4 = 20.5 + [15] 10
15

𝐷4 = 20.5 + 3.33 = 23.83

𝟕𝑵⁄ −𝑪𝑭
𝟏𝟎 𝑫𝟕
b. 𝑫𝟕 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ ]𝒄
𝑭𝑫𝟕

7 ∑ 𝑓⁄ 40
We first obtain the decile class, 7𝑁⁄10 = 10 = 7( ⁄10) = 28𝑡ℎ item of the distribution.

The seventh decile class, 7𝑁⁄10, is 31-40 (it falls within the fourth CF)

Lc = 30.5; 𝐶𝐹𝐷7 = 26; 𝐹𝐷7 = 9; 𝑐 = 40.5 − 30.5 = 10

28−26 2
𝐷7 = 30.5 + [ ] 10; 𝐷4 = 30.5 + [9] 10
9

𝐷4 = 30.5 + 2.22 = 32.72

3. Percentiles

Percentiles are measures of partition that divide a distribution into 100 equal parts. A percentile is any of
the 99 values that divide the sorted data into 100 equal parts, so that each part represents 1/100 of the
distribution. P1, P2, P3,… P99 represent the first, second, third …and ninety nine percentiles. Note: the
lower quartile (Q1) which is ¼ is the 25th percentile (1/4 x 100), while the upper quartile (Q3) which is ¾
is the 75th percentile (3/4 x 100). The 50th percentile (50/100 = ½) represents the median of a distribution.

Case A: Ungrouped data (individual observations and Discrete Series)

For an ungrouped data, the first (P1), second (P2), third (P3) …. and ninety-nine (P99) percentiles can be
calculated as follows using a general formula:

The ith percentile is given as:

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 𝑷𝒊 = 𝒊⁄𝟏𝟎𝟎 (𝒏 + 𝟏)𝒕𝒉 term of the distribution

where i=1,2,3,…99

Note: 𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 for a discrete series.

Illustration

1. Given the series, 6, 9, 3, 1, 11, 15, 21, 13, 14, 8, 7, 10 and 5. Find P30 and P80.

Solution

Re-arranging the data: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 21

a. 𝑃30 = 30⁄100 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 13; 𝑃30 = 30⁄100 (13 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑃30 = 30⁄100 (14)𝑡ℎ term = 4.2nd item of the
distribution
𝑃30 falls between the 4th and 5th items of the distribution, that is, 6 and 7.
𝑃30 = 4th value + 0.2 of the distance between the 4th and 5th values.
𝑃30 = 6 + 0.2(6 − 7) = 6 + 0.2 = 6.2
b. 𝑃80 = 80⁄100 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

n = 13; 𝑃80 = 80⁄100 (13 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑃80 = 80⁄100 (14)𝑡ℎ term = 11.2nd item of the
distribution
𝑃80 falls between the 11th and 12th items of the distribution, that is, 14 and 15.
𝑃80 = 11th value + 0.2 of the distance between the 11th and 12th values.
𝑃80 = 14 + 0.2(15 − 14) = 14 + 0.2 = 14.2
2. Obtain P28 and P74 from the distribution below.

x 10 15 20 30 40 50
f 3 2 5 1 4 6

Solution

To obtain the deciles, we need the cumulative frequency.

10
 X f CF
10 3 3
15 2 5
20 5 10
30 1 11
40 4 15
50 6 21
Total ∑ 𝒇 = 𝟐𝟏

a. 𝑃28 = 28⁄100 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 = 21; 𝑃28 = 28⁄100 (21 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑃28 = 28⁄100 (22)𝑡ℎ term = 6.16th item of the
distribution.
𝑃28 = 20 (it falls within the third CF)
b. 𝑃74 = 74⁄100 (𝑛 + 1)𝑡ℎ term of the distribution

𝑛 = ∑ 𝑓 = 21; 𝑃74 = 74⁄100 (21 + 1)𝑡ℎ term; 𝑃74 = 74⁄100 (22)𝑡ℎ term = 16.28th item of the
distribution.
𝑃74 = 50 (it falls within the last CF)

Case B: Grouped data (Continuous Series)

To compute the percentiles for a continuous series, the procedure is similar to the one used in calculating
the media. Generally, the percentiles can be calculated as follows:

𝒊𝑵⁄
𝑷𝒊 = 𝑳 𝒄 + [ 𝟏𝟎𝟎 − 𝑪𝑭𝑷𝒊 ] 𝒄
𝑭𝑷 𝒊

where “i” represents the percentile to be calculated, that is, i=1,2,3, …, 99

Lc is the lower-class boundary of the percentile class

N is the sum of the frequency, that is, ∑ 𝑓

𝐶𝐹𝑃𝑖 is the cumulative frequency of the class before the percentile class

𝐹𝑃𝑖 is the frequency of the percentile class

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 c is the class size of the percentile class

𝑖𝑁⁄
100 is used to determine the percentile class

Illustration

Given the table below, compute P45 and P65.

Class Interval 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50

Frequency 3 8 15 9 5

Solution

Class Interval f CF Class Boundary

1-10 3 3 0.5-10.5
11-20 8 11 10.5-20.5
21-30 15 26 20.5-30.5
31-40 9 35 30.5-40.5
41-50 5 5 40.5-50.5
Total ∑ 𝒇 = 𝟒𝟎

𝟒𝟓𝑵⁄
𝟏𝟎𝟎−𝑪𝑭𝑷𝟒𝟓
a. 𝑷𝟒𝟓 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ ]𝒄
𝑭𝑷𝟒𝟓

45 ∑ 𝑓⁄
We first obtain the percentile class, 45𝑁⁄100 = 40
100 = 45( ⁄100) = 18𝑡ℎ item of the
distribution.

The P45 class, 45𝑁⁄100, is 21-30 (it falls within the third CF)

Lc = 20.5; 𝐶𝐹𝑃45 = 11; 𝐹𝑃45 = 15; 𝑐 = 30.5 − 20.5 = 10

18−11 7
𝑃45 = 20.5 + [ ] 10; 𝑃45 = 20.5 + [15] 10
15

𝑃45 = 20.5 + 4.67 = 25.17

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 𝟔𝟓𝑵⁄
𝟏𝟎𝟎−𝑪𝑭𝑷𝟔𝟓
b. 𝑷𝟔𝟓 = 𝑳𝒄 + [ ]𝒄
𝑭𝑷𝟔𝟓

65 ∑ 𝑓⁄
We first obtain the percentile class, 65𝑁⁄100 = 40
100 = 65( ⁄100) = 26𝑡ℎ item of the
distribution.

The P65 class, 65𝑁⁄100, is 21-30 (it falls within the third CF)

Lc = 20.5; 𝐶𝐹𝑃65 = 11; 𝐹𝑃65 = 15; 𝑐 = 30.5 − 20.5 = 10

26−11 15
𝑃65 = 20.5 + [ ] 10; 𝑃65 = 21 + [15] 10
15

𝑃45 = 20.5 + 10 = 30.5

Activity

The set of observations below gives the grade on a subject for a class of 40 students.

Find: (i) mean, median and mode (ii) lower and upper quartile (ii) D3 and D8 (iii) P35, P65, and P85

7 5 6 2 8 7 6 7 3 9 10 4 5 5 4 6 7 4 8 2

3 5 6 7 9 8 2 4 7 9 4 6 7 8 3 6 7 9 10 5

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