In: Statistics and Probability
Suppose you have data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) listing HN rates for all counties in the United States. You want to construct a choropleth map based on these data, and your goal is have about the same number of counties allocated to each of the five categories you plan to have on the map. What classification method are you going to use?
1. quantile breaks
2. natural breaks
3. equal interval based on range
4. equal interval not based on range
Answer to the question as follows. In case you have doubts, please write back to me:
Quantiles. This method classifies data into a certain number of categories with an equal number of units in each category.
Equal Intervals. This method sets the value ranges in each category equal in size. The entire range of data values (max - min) is divided equally into however many categories have been chosen.
Natural breaks don't take care of the "same no. of counties" part.
Since equal intervals ( whether based on intervals or not) set range values in each category without taking care of the no. of counties allocated to each of the 5 categories , you should use quantile breaks
Quantile sets equal no. of units to each category.
So, right answer is 1. Quantile breaks