Definition:Class Interval/Real Data

Definition
Let $D$ be a finite collection of $n$ data regarding some quantitative variable. Let the data in $D$ be described by rational numbers or by real numbers.

Let $d_{\text{min}}$ be the value of the smallest datum in $D$.

Let $d_{\text{max}}$ be the value of the largest datum in $D$. Let $P = \left\{{x_0, x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_{n-1}, x_n}\right\} \subseteq \R$ be a subdivision of $\left[{a \,.\,.\, b}\right]$, where $a \le x_0 \le x_n \le b$.

The closed real interval $\left[{a \,.\,.\, b}\right]$, where $a \le d_{\text{min}} \le d_{\text{max}} \le b$, is said to be divided into classes of real intervals with endpoints $x_i$ and $x_{i+1}$ iff:


 * Every datum is assigned into exactly one class


 * Every class is disjoint from every other


 * The union of all classes contains the entire real interval $\left[{x_0 \,.\,.\, x_n}\right]$

The classes may be any combination of open, closed, or half-open intervals that fulfill the above criteria, but usually:


 * Every class except the last is of the form $\left[{x_i \,.\,.\, x_{i+1}}\right)$


 * The last class is of the form $\left[{x_{n-1} \,.\,.\, x_n}\right]$

By convention, the first and last classes are not empty classes.