Elementary Statstics

5.2.5.4.1 Utility of Ogives

From the  point of graphic presentation, the ogive is especially used for the following purposes :

1. To determine as well as to portray the number or proportion of cases above or below a given value.
2. To compare two or more frequency distributions. Generally there is less overlapping when comparing several ogives on the same grid than when comparing several simple frequency curves in this manner.
3. Ogives are also drawn for determining certain value graphically such as median, quartiles, deciles, etc.

Despite the great significance of ogives, it should be noted that they are not as simple to interpret as one may feel and hence the reader must be careful while using them.