Find the quartiles for the distribution of examination marks given below:

Marks 30 – 39 40 – 49 50 – 59 60 – 69 70 – 79 80 – 89 90 – 99
Number of 8 87 190 304 211 85 20
Students

We need the class boundaries and cumulative frequencies to meet the requirement of the
formula.

Class Limits Frequency Class Boundaries Cumulative Frequency

30 – 39 8 29.5 – 39.5 8
40 – 49 87 39.5 – 49.5 95
50 – 59 190 49.5 – 59.5 285
60 – 69 304 59.5 – 69.5 589
70 – 79 211 69.5 – 79.5 800
80 – 89 85 79.5 – 89.5 885
90 – 99 20 89.5 – 99.5 905
905

h n
Q1  l  (  C)
f 4

n 905
  226.25th
4 4

l = 49.5, h = 10, f = 190 and C = 95

10
Q1  49.5  (226.25  190)
190
 49.5  6.9  56.4  56 marks

h 2n
Q2  l  (  C)
f 4

2n 1810
  452.5th
4 4

l = 59.5, h = 10, f = 304 and C = 285

10
Q2  59.5  (452.5  285)
304
 59.5  5.5  65 marks
 h 3n
Q3  l  (  C)
f 4

3n 2715
  678.75th
4 4

l = 69.5, h = 10, f = 211 and C = 589

10
Q3  69.5  (678.75  589)
211
 69.5  4.2  73.7  74 marks