Guide to Using Minitab 14 For Basic

Statistical Applications

To Accompany

Business Statistics: A Decision Making

Approach, 8th Ed.

Chapter 2:

Graphs, Charts and Tables - Describing

Your Data

By

Groebner, Shannon, Fry, & SmithPrentice-Hall Publishing Company

Copyright, 2011

Chapter 2 Minitab Examples

Frequency Distributions -

Athletic Shoe Survey

Histograms-

Capital Credit Union

Joint Frequency Distributions-

Capital Credit Union

Joint Relative Frequencies-

Capital Credit Union

More Examples

Chapter 2 Minitab Examples (continued)

Bar Charts-

Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Line Charts-

McGregor Vineyards

Scatter Diagrams-

Personal Computers

Frequency Distributions

Athletic Shoe Survey

Issue: Analyze the data from a survey of 100

college students regarding the number of Nike

shoes they own.

Objective: Use Minitab to develop a frequency

distribution for the number of Nike shoes owned

by college students.

Data File is SportShoes.MTW

Frequency Distributions-Athletic Shoe Survey

Open the Minitab file called Sportshoes.MTW

The file contains 100 observations. Column C5 contains the Number of Nike Shoes owned

Frequency Distributions-Athletic Shoe Survey

Select Stat then select Tables then Tally Individual Variables

Frequency Distributions-Athletic Shoe Survey

Select “Number of Nike” variable –Display Counts – OK

Frequency Distributions-Athletic Shoe Survey

Resulting Frequency Counts

Histograms

Capital Credit Union

Issue: Analyze credit card balances for Capital Credit Union customers using a frequency distribution and histogram.

Objective: Use Minitab to develop a frequency distribution and histogram for credit card balances. Use ten class intervals.

Data file is Capital.MTW

Histograms-Capital Credit Union

Open the Minitab file called Capital.MTW

File contains 300 observations - Column C2 contains the balances

Select Graph and Histogram

Histograms-Capital Credit Union

Click Simple - OK

Histograms-Capital Credit Union

Select variable to be graphed - OK

Histograms-Capital Credit Union

Completed Histogram

Histograms-Capital Credit Union

Joint Frequency Distributions

Capital Credit Union

Issue: Analyze the credit card balances by gender of the card holder.

Objective: Use Minitab to develop a joint frequency distribution for the credit card balances by gender.

Data File is Capital.MTW

Joint Frequency Distributions-Capital Credit Union

Open the Minitab file called Capital.MTW

File contains 300 observations - Column C2 contains the balances, Column C3 contains the gender code

First, organize the Credit balances into groups (see Example 2-5)

Select Data – Code –Numeric to Text

Joint Frequency Distributions-Capital Credit Union

Joint Frequency Distributions-Capital Credit Union

Identify variable to be Recoded – indicate where to store new variable

Click OK

Minitab only codes 8 classes at a time. Code the first 8 classes; then code the remaining classes

To create the joint frequency table, use Stat– Tables – Cross Tabulation and Chi-square

Joint Frequency Distributions-Capital Credit Union

Click Column Percents - OK

Joint Frequency Distributions-Capital Credit Union

Define variables to be uses (Classes and Gender)

Joint Frequency Distributions-Capital Credit Union

Completed Joint Frequency Distribution

Bar Charts

Bach, Lombard, & Wilson

Issue: An electronics company is being sued on

the grounds that female new hires are paid less

than male new hires. The law firm needs to

analyze salary data to prepare the case.

Objective: Use Minitab to develop bar charts for

the starting salary data for males and females.

Data File is Bach.MTW

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Open the Minitab file

called Bach.MTW

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Must Rearrange

the data. SelectData - Stack -

Columns

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Select Variables – Identify

New Column Name – and

Column for category labels -

OK

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Stack the Year variable - OK

Select Graph – Bar Chart

Bar Charts - Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Under Bars represent –Select Values from a table -OK

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Select Cluster –

Click OK

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Define Variable to Graph and Categories - OK

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Finished Bar Chart 1= Males, 2 = Females

Bar Charts-Bach, Lombard & Wilson

Line Charts-

McGregor Vineyards

Issue: Analyze the sales and profits data over

time.

Objective: Use Minitab to develop line charts for

weekly sales and profits.

Data File is McGregor.MTW

Line Charts-McGregor Vineyards

Open the Minitab file called McGregor.MTW

File contains 20 weeks of historic data

Select Time Series Plot.

Click on Graph

Line Charts-McGregor Vineyards

Select Simple -OK

Line Charts-McGregor Vineyards

Define Variables to be Graphed – Select Multiple Graphs

Line Charts-McGregor Vineyards

Define Output Option –Click OK - OK

Line Charts-McGregor Vineyards

Finished Line Chart for the Sales and the Profit Variables.

Line Charts-McGregor Vineyards

Scatter Diagrams-

Personal Computers

Issue: Analyze the relationship between PC

sales price and the processing speed of the PC

Objective: Use Minitab to develop a scatter

diagram for PC price and speed.

Data File is Computers.MTW

Scatter Diagrams- Personal Computers

Open the Minitab file called Computers.MTW

File contains data for 36 PC’s

Click on the Graph,select Scatter plot

Scatter Diagrams- Personal Computers

Select Simple –Click OK

Scatter Diagrams- Personal Computers

Define the Y and X

variables Click

OK

Scatter Diagrams- Personal Computers

Completed Scatter Diagram

Scatter Diagrams- Personal Computers