To find the relative frequency, use the following method: Relative frequency is the ratio of the frequency of a specific event or category to the total number of all events or trials. The formula to calculate relative frequency is:
Relative Frequency=Frequency of the desired eventTotal number of trials or events\text{Relative Frequency}=\frac{\text{Frequency of the desired event}}{\text{Total number of trials or events}}Relative Frequency=Total number of trials or eventsFrequency of the desired event
Steps:
- Count how many times the event of interest occurs (frequency).
- Count the total number of trials or observations.
- Divide the frequency of the event by the total number of trials.
For example, if an event occurs 5 times out of 30 trials, the relative frequency is 530=0.1667\frac{5}{30}=0.1667305=0.1667 or 16.67%. Relative frequency values range from 0 to 1, where 0 means the event never occurs, and 1 means the event always occurs. Summing the relative frequencies of all categories in a data set should be 1 or very close due to rounding. This method applies whether data points are individual occurrences or grouped into classes. This explanation is supported by multiple educational sources on statistics and probability.
