The Structure of Data: Cases, Variables, and Data Types (Pages 1-5)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the notes: cases, variables, dataset structure, quantitative vs categorical variables, explanatory vs response variables, and the specific example fields from Hollywood data, yogurt study, and college data.

Case (in a dataset)

A single unit of observation; a row describing one entity in the data (e.g., one movie).

Variable (in a dataset)

A characteristic measured for each case; a column in the dataset.

Dataset

A collection of cases (rows) and variables (columns) used for analysis.

Quantitative variable

A numeric value representing measurements or counts (e.g., budget, opening, rating).

Categorical variable

A variable that assigns cases to named categories (e.g., genre, LeadStudio, Title).

Explanatory variable

The variable used to explain or predict the outcome; also called the independent variable.

Response variable

The outcome variable measured to assess effect; also called the dependent variable.

Opening

Opening weekend gross, measured in millions of dollars.

Budget

Film budget, measured in millions of dollars.

Rating

Audience rating on a 100-point scale.

Genre

Category/type of movie; a categorical variable.

LeadStudio

Movie production studio; a categorical variable (e.g., Sony, Warner Bros).

Title

Movie title; a variable describing each case; in the Hollywood dataset it is the film’s name.

Cases in Hollywood dataset

136 movies (observations) in the full dataset for 2011.

Two-variable relationship question

A question about how two variables relate or affect each other (e.g., budget vs. opening weekend).

Single-variable question

A question focusing on one variable (e.g., average rating across movies).

Explanatory variable (Yogurt study)

Yogurt consumption (whether yogurt is eaten) used to explain potential weight change.

Response variable (Yogurt study)

Weight change (amount of weight lost or gained) observed as the outcome.

Cases (Yogurt study)

Individuals observed in the weight-loss study (participants).

Type of college

Private or Public; a categorical variable.

Enrollment

Total number of students enrolled; a quantitative variable.

Student-Faculty Ratio

Ratio of students to faculty members; a quantitative variable.

Graduation Rate

Percentage of students who graduate; a quantitative variable.

Tuition

Cost of tuition; a quantitative variable.

State

U.S. state where the college is located; a categorical variable.

Dataset fields (Hollywood example)

The variables listed for the dataset: Title, LeadStudio, Rating, Genre, Budget, Opening.