Section1.2

Parameter

A numerical measurement describing some characteristic of a population.

Statistic

A numerical measurement describing some characteristic of a sample.

Quantitative Data

Data that consist of numbers representing counts or measurements.

Categorical Data

Data that consist of names or labels that do not represent counts or measurements.

Discrete Data

Data that are quantitative and finite or countable.

Continuous Data

Data that result from infinitely many possible quantitative values.

Nominal Level

Measurement characterized by data consisting of names or categories only.

Ordinal Level

Measurement involving data that can be arranged in some order, but differences between data values are meaningless.

Interval Level

Measurement involving data that can be arranged in order, with meaningful differences but no natural zero point.

Ratio Level

Measurement where data can be ordered, differences are meaningful, and there is a natural zero point.

Big Data

Data sets so large and complex that their analysis requires advanced software tools.

Data Science

The application of statistics, computer science, and software engineering for data analysis.

Missing Data

Data value whose absence is random or related to its own value.

Impute Missing Values

The process of substituting values for missing data.