In a frequency distribution, what is the total number of scores equal to?

In a frequency distribution, what is the total number of scores equal to?

• A. The sum of the frequencies
• B. The sum of the X values
• C. The sum of X times frequency
• D. The sum of squared X values

Answer: (A)

The total number of scores is found by adding up all the category frequencies. Each frequency tells you how many times a particular score value occurs, so summing these frequencies across all score values gives the total count of observations in the data set. For example, if you have 3 scores at value 2, 5 scores at value 4, and 2 scores at value 7, the total number of scores is 3 + 5 + 2 = 10. The other ideas mix up what is being counted: summing the X values would give a total of the observed scores themselves, not how many observations there are. Summing X times frequency gives the total sum of all scores (the aggregate score), not the count. Squaring X values is related to variance computations, not to counting how many observations exist.

The total number of scores is found by adding up all the category frequencies. Each frequency tells you how many times a particular score value occurs, so summing these frequencies across all score values gives the total count of observations in the data set.

For example, if you have 3 scores at value 2, 5 scores at value 4, and 2 scores at value 7, the total number of scores is 3 + 5 + 2 = 10.

The other ideas mix up what is being counted: summing the X values would give a total of the observed scores themselves, not how many observations there are. Summing X times frequency gives the total sum of all scores (the aggregate score), not the count. Squaring X values is related to variance computations, not to counting how many observations exist.