Questions: A city in the Pacific Northwest recorded its highest temperature at 79 degrees Fahrenheit and its lowest temperature at 21 degrees Fahrenheit for a particular year. Use this information to find the upper and lower limits (in degrees Fahrenheit) of the first class if you wish to construct a frequency distribution of temperatures throughout that particular year using 10 classes. A. 16-26 B. 21-27 C. 21-25 D. 21-26

Solution Steps

To determine the class limits for a frequency distribution, calculate the range by subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value, then divide this range by the number of classes to find the class width. Use the class width to establish the upper limit of the first class by adding it to the minimum value, rounding if necessary.

The range of the temperatures is calculated by subtracting the minimum temperature from the maximum temperature: \[ \text{Range} = \text{max\_temp} - \text{min\_temp} = 79 - 21 = 58 \]

The class width is determined by dividing the range by the number of classes: \[ \text{Class Width} = \frac{\text{Range}}{\text{num\_classes}} = \frac{58}{10} = 5.8 \]

The upper limit of the first class is found by adding the class width to the minimum temperature: \[ \text{Upper Limit of the First Class} = \text{min\_temp} + \text{Class Width} = 21 + 5.8 = 26.8 \]

Final Answer