OnRamps Stats Unit 1

Statistical methods

The techniques of collecting, organizing, and interpreting data

Data

values or measurements taken within context

Raw data

A list of numbers or words that has been collected but completely untouched

Columns

value of a variable or attribute

Rows

Observed data for a single record (top is variable names)

Variable of interest

measured in a study

an attribute or attributes

Population

EVERYONES

Sample

A portion of the population (what you have access to)

Descriptive Statistics

Used to summarize, visualize, and describe types of data

Inferential Statistics

Used to make conclusions or predictions about a larger population based on data collected from a sample

Numerical varaibles

Quantitative measurements that have magnitude and units [anything measured with actual numbers]

Categorical variables

Qualitative variables with values defining membership in a group [descriptive words typically]

Discrete variables

Measured as whole numbers only

Continuous variables

measured by any real number, including decimals

Nominal variables

categories with no inherent order

Ordinal variables

Categories that DO have a specific order