Chapter 1

CCP Stats lesson 1

Statistics

A way of reasoning, along with a collection of tools and methods, designed to help us understand the world

Statistic

 A particular calculation made from data

Data

Any collection of numbers, characters, images, or other items that provide information about something

Descriptive Statistics

The collection, presentation and description of data in the form of graphs, tables, and numerical summaries such as averages, percentages, standard deviations, etc

Goals of Descriptive Statistics

Look for patterns

Summarize and present data

Quick Information

Compare multiple groups in order to easily look for similarities and differences between them.

Inferential Statistics

Deals with the interpretation of data as well as drawing conclusions and making generalizations about the population of interest.

Goals of Inferential Statistics

Make Data-Based Decisions

Generalizing information obtained from descriptive analysis to a larger group of individuals

Population

The entire group of subjects we want to learn about.

Sample

A subgroup of the population that we learn about in order to make assumptions about the entire population.

Population of Interest

Group we want to learn about

Parameter

A numerical summary describing a population.

Numerical Summary

Something that can be calculated like a mean or percentage

Variable

Characteristics that are recorded from the individual or observation

Categorical Data

Separated into different categories based on non-numeric data.

Quantitative Data

Consists of numbers representing counts or measurements.