QMDS 202 Data Analysis and Modeling

Chapter 1 What is Statistics?

Statistics
Statistics is the science that deals with collecting, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data.
Collection of data is the process of obtaining measurements or counts. Valid conclusions can
result from properly collected data.
Organization of data is the task of presenting the collected measurements or counts in a form
suitable for deriving logical conclusions. Representative methods of organizing and presenting
data by means of tables and graphs will be used.
Analysis of data is the process of extracting relevant information from the given measurements or
counts, from which a summarized and comprehensive numerical description can be tabulated.
Interpretation of data is the task of drawing conclusions from analysis of the data and usually
involves the formulation of predictions concerning a large collection of objects from information
available for a small collection of similar objects. This forms the most important topics in the
statistical inference.
Definition of Statistical Terms
A population is the complete collection of measurements, objects, or individuals under
consideration.
A sample is the portion of the population that is selected for analysis.
A parameter is a summary measure that describes a characteristic of an entire population.
A statistic is a summary measure that describes a characteristic of a sample.
The process of selecting a subset of data from the population of interest is called sampling.
Descriptive statistics is the science of describing the important aspects of a set of data. It can be
defined as those methods focusing on the collection, presentation, and characterization of a set of
data in order to describe properly the various features of that set of data.
Inferential statistics is the science of using sample data to make generalization about the
important aspects of population data. It can be defined as those methods that make possible the
estimation of a characteristic of a population or the making of a decision concerning a population
based only on sample results.

Chapter 2 Types of Data

Interval (quantitative or numerical) data are data values that are measured on a numerical scale.
Nominal (qualitative or categorical) data are data values, each of which can be classified into a
single category that belongs to a set of categories.
Ordinal data appear to be nominal but the difference is that the order of their values has meaning.
Discrete data result from a countable number of possible values that arise from a counting
process.
Continuous data result from infinitely many possible values that can be associated with points on
a continuous scale in such a way that there are no gaps or interruptions.

Review Problems: 1.4, 1.8, 2.2, 2.6, 2.8.