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In a textbook maths problem I've got a continuous variable $m$ that could take values from 0 to 100 (inclusive). In the question, the author writes the following:

$0 \leq m < 10$

$10 \leq m < 20$

$20 \leq m < 30$

...

And we are asked to complete the groups and draw a frequency histogram for some data. I'm confused.

If I continue the pattern I will end up with a group that is

$90 \leq m < 100$

But then what would I do with a piece of data that was $m=100$?

One could imagine such a situation if $m$ was the number of marks on a maths exam for example.

Casteels
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  • Judging from the information you provide, my guess is that it is a minor oversight and the author should have said $90\leq m\leq 100$. – Casteels May 10 '15 at 15:18
  • @Casteels The author is asking me to decide what the other groups are. The one you have suggested makes sense as $m$ can be equal to 100. However, this does not follow the pattern. Is it fair to just change the last group so that it 'makes sense'? Is it normal that we just go ahead and change the last group? – User 17670 May 10 '15 at 15:39
  • As far as I know, a histogram is not really a precise mathematical construct, so you can pretty much do what you want. That being said, the convention is that they are drawn so that the bins are all of the same width, and adding that extra end-point does not change the width. – Casteels May 10 '15 at 19:17
  • @Casteels "not really a precise mathematical construct" Ah, OK, got it! Cheers. "adding that extra end-point does not change the width" confuses me though, or are you just saying a point has no width by definition? I get that. – User 17670 May 10 '15 at 19:26

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