An avalanche is a major danger facing skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers. The number of avalanche fatalities per year in the United States varies for approximately 5 to 35, but in general has increased steadily since 1956. The following table shows the number of avalanche fatalities in certain countries represented by the International Commission of Alpine Rescue (IKAR) for the winter seasons 1985 to 2003.
|
Country
|
Frequency*
|
| |
|
|
Switzerland
|
435
|
|
France
|
556
|
|
Austria
|
471
|
|
Italy
|
361
|
|
Germany
|
37
|
|
Spain
|
60
|
|
Slovakia
|
37
|
|
United Kingdom
|
16
|
|
Norway
|
92
|
|
Poland
|
49
|
|
Canada
|
233
|
|
United States
|
416
|
- (Source:Colorado Avalanche Information Center.)
a) Find the relative frequency of fatalities for each country.
b) Construct a bar chart using frequency on the vertical axis, and a bar chart using relative frequency on the vertical axis. Which of these 2 graphs do you think is a better graphical description of avalanche fatalities by country? Why?