Week 1 - basic definitions & concepts

Question 1

What is statistics?

Answer 1

Statistics is a science of data. This involves,

• collecting
• classifying
• summarizing (mean/median/variance/quantiles)
• organizing
• analyzing
• interpreting data

Question 2

• What are the two main types of statistics?

- Describe them briefly

Answer 2

1) Descriptive statistics - uses numerical and graphical methods to identify pattern in a dataset, to present the information in a convenient form.
2) Inferential statistics - uses a sample data set to make predictions, estimates, decisions and generalizations on a larger set of data.

Question 3

What is an experimental unit?

Answer 3

An object about which we collect data.

Question 4

1) What is a population?

2) What is a sample

Answer 4

1) A set of measurements corresponding to the whole collection of experimental units about which you want to draw conclusions.
2) A subset of a population

Question 5

What is a census?

Answer 5

Examining every experimental unit in a population.

Question 6

What is a variable?

Answer 6

A characteristic or property of an experimental unit.

Question 7

What are the 2 types of variables? Explain briefly

Answer 7

1) Discrete variables - has a countable number of distinct possible values
2) Continuous variables - a variable can take any value between its min and max values.