Make a line plot for the first 100 letters in the Preamble to the Constitution.
We the people of the United States,
in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
provide for the common defense,
promote the general welfare,
and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
SURVEY QUESTIONS
1. How many vowels are in the TOP TEN? ___________
2. Which consonants would be the most useful in "Wheel of Fortune"? _____, _____,
_____, _____, _____, _____
3. Which vowel might be the least useful? ________
4. What percentage of all the letters surveyed were vowels? ________
5. Where would this information be useful? _______
Compare your findings above with the actual frequency distribution below:
Letter Percent Letter Percent
------ ------- ------ -------
A 7.81 N 7.28
B 1.28 O 8.21
C 2.93 P 2.15
D 4.11 Q 0.14
E 13.05 R 6.64
F 2.88 S 6.46
G 1.39 T 9.02
H 5.85 U 2.77
I 6.77 V 1.00
J 0.23 W 1.49
K 0.42 X 0.30
L 3.60 Y 1.51
M 2.62 Z 0.09
This data is presented in
Bell, D.A.: "Information Theory," Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd., London, 1953.