AP Statistics Study Guide

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the AP Statistics study guide, providing definitions and explanations for important terms.

Statistics

The science & art of collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data.

Categorical data

Data that can be divided into categories.

Quantitative data

Data that can be measured and expressed numerically.

Variable

An aspect that can take different values for different individuals.

Distribution

The pattern of variation of a variable.

Descriptive statistics

Analyzing data from units 1-7.

Inferential statistics

Making inferences or drawing conclusions from data from units 8-12.

Nominal variable

A variable that has a certain order.

Ordinal variable

A variable that has no order.

Discrete variable

A variable with a fixed set of possible values with gaps between them.

Continuous variable

A variable that can take on any value within a given interval.

Frequency table

A table that shows how often each value occurs.

Relative frequency table

A table that shows the proportion of total values for each category.

Marginal relative frequency

The frequency of a category divided by the total frequency.

Joint relative frequency

The frequency of a joint category divided by the total frequency.

Conditional relative frequency

The frequency of a category based on the condition of another variable.

Bar graph

A graph that represents categorical data with rectangular bars.

Pie chart

A circular statistical graphic that is divided into slices to illustrate numerical proportions.

Two-way table

Summarizes data on the relationship between two categorical variables.

Association

Knowing the value of one variable allows you to predict the value of another.

Outlier

A value that is significantly higher or lower than most of the values in a data set.

Mean

The average of a data set.

Median

The middle value of a data set.

Mode

The most common value in a data set.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

IQR (Interquartile range)

The range of the middle 50% of data.

Standard deviation

The average distance of each data point from the mean.

Five-number summary

A summary that includes the minimum, Q1, median, Q3, and maximum.

Statistic

A value that describes a characteristic of a sample.

Parameter

A value that describes a characteristic of a population.

Random sampling

A sampling method where each individual has an equal chance of being selected.

Bias

A tendency to systematically overestimate or underestimate a value.

Confounding

When two variables are associated such that their effects on a response variable cannot be distinguished.

Statistical significance

The observed difference is larger than can be attributed to chance alone.

Power of a test

The probability that a test will find convincing evidence for an alternative hypothesis when a specific value of the parameter is true.