Observed Frequency

Definition

Observed frequency refers to the actual or empirical count of the number of occurrences of a particular event or outcome in a dataset or experiment. It is a fundamental concept in the analysis of categorical data and is central to various statistical tests, such as the goodness-of-fit test and the test of independence.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Observed frequency is a crucial input for the goodness-of-fit test, which evaluates whether the observed data follows a specified probability distribution.
2. In the test of independence, observed frequencies are used to determine whether two categorical variables are independent or associated with each other.
3. The chi-square goodness-of-fit test compares the observed frequencies to the expected frequencies, and the test statistic is calculated based on the differences between these values.
4. The number of degrees of freedom in a goodness-of-fit or test of independence problem is determined by the number of categories or cells in the data, and is used to determine the appropriate chi-square distribution for the test statistic.
5. Observed frequencies are also used in the calculation of the chi-square test statistic, which is then compared to a critical value from the chi-square distribution to determine the statistical significance of the observed data.

Review Questions

• Explain the role of observed frequency in the goodness-of-fit test.
  • In the goodness-of-fit test, the observed frequency refers to the actual count or number of occurrences of each category or outcome in the dataset. These observed frequencies are compared to the expected frequencies, which are the theoretical or predicted frequencies based on a specified probability distribution. The test evaluates whether the observed data is consistent with the expected distribution by calculating a chi-square statistic that measures the discrepancy between the observed and expected frequencies. The observed frequencies are a crucial input for this analysis, as they represent the empirical data that is being tested against the theoretical model.
• Describe how observed frequency is used in the test of independence.
  • The test of independence examines whether two categorical variables are related or independent of each other. In this test, the observed frequencies represent the actual counts of the combinations of the two variables in the dataset. These observed frequencies are compared to the expected frequencies, which are the frequencies that would be expected if the two variables were independent. The chi-square statistic is calculated based on the differences between the observed and expected frequencies, and is used to determine whether the variables are statistically independent or associated. The observed frequencies are essential for this analysis, as they provide the empirical data that is used to evaluate the relationship between the two variables.
• Analyze the importance of observed frequency in the chi-square goodness-of-fit lab.
  • $$ ext{The chi-square goodness-of-fit lab focuses on evaluating whether a dataset follows a specific probability distribution. In this lab, the observed frequency is the central component, as it represents the actual counts or occurrences of each category or outcome in the data. These observed frequencies are compared to the expected frequencies, which are the theoretical frequencies based on the hypothesized probability distribution. The chi-square statistic is calculated by summing the squared differences between the observed and expected frequencies, divided by the expected frequencies. This statistic is then compared to a critical value from the chi-square distribution to determine if the observed data is consistent with the expected distribution. The observed frequencies are essential for this analysis, as they provide the empirical data that is used to test the goodness-of-fit of the hypothesized model.}

Related terms

Expected Frequency: The expected frequency is the theoretical or predicted number of occurrences of an event or outcome, based on a specific probability distribution or model.

Chi-Square Statistic: The chi-square statistic is a test statistic used to assess the discrepancy between the observed and expected frequencies in a dataset, and is a key component of the goodness-of-fit test and the test of independence.

Degrees of Freedom: The degrees of freedom are the number of independent values or observations that can vary in a statistical analysis, and are used to determine the appropriate probability distribution for the test statistic.