Introduction +

Chapter 1
Stats Starts Here

Attendance
Sign the attendance sheet that is being

passed around.
Not registered or not on the list? See me after
class.

Who are we?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Name
Where are you from?
Degree
Year
Interesting fact
What is ONE word you think of when you
hear the word statistics?

Name: Laura Ziegler

Where? GO BIG RED!!
Degrees:
Mathematics, Computer Science, and Music
B.A.
Wayne State College

Statistics M.A.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Year? 11th!
Instructor
St. Cloud State University

Last degree:
PhD Statistics Education
University of Minnesota

Something Interesting?

Statistics word?

Syllabus-Highlights
READ the syllabus. It is our contract.
See syllabus or Blackboard for due dates.
Online and written homework No extensions
Personal Glossary on Blackboard
Labs No make ups
Discuss with me if you will have an ab sense
due to school activities (e.g., traveling for
sports)
Lecture quizzes
5 unit assessments
Midterm and final exams

No lab this week!

Blackboard
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Syllabus
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Lecture notes
Assignments
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appointments if needed.

Chapter Outline
What is Statistics?
What are Data?
The 5 Ws of Data
Connecting the 5 Ws to the Data Table
Types of Variables

Statistics
The field of statistics is about

understanding data and making

informed decisions.
Need to examine and
understand variability to make
decisions.
Our goal is to describe, quantify,
explain, and/or predict variability
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STATISTICS MATHEMATICS
Mathematics is a tool used in statistics.
Similar to how physicists use mathematics.
Mathematics and statistics are related

through the study of probability.

THIS IS NOT a mathematics course.
Focus is on conceptual understanding, on
learning the important concepts in statistics.
While we will do some computations by hand
and using the computer, this is not the focus
of Stat 101.
13

What are Data?

Are Data Numbers?

Are Data Labels?

Data
Pieces of information (values) collected about

cases.
Cases = People, places, things.
Could contain all cases of interest (Population)
Could contain only a subset of cases of interest
(Sample)

Only meaningful in context.

Context = 5 Ws of Data

The Five Ws of Data

Who
What
Where
When
Why
How

Who
Cases = People, Places and Things
Population = All Cases of Interest

Usually do not have this information.

Sample = Smaller Collection of Cases of

Interest

Usually have this information.

Sample Population = Does not exist! Pick one or

the other

Rows in a Data Table

What
Pieces of information about the cases
Variables characteristics about each Who.
Columns in a Data Table

Two Basic Types of

Variables
Categorical Variables
Recorded as labels (categories).
List of possible categories.
Quantitative Variables
Recorded and used as numbers
Measurement units (ex. cm or in)

Examples of Categorical Variables

Gender
Categories = Male, Female
Marital Status
Categories = Single, Married, Divorced,
Widowed

Examples of Quantitative Variables

Age
Unit = Days, Months, or Years
Height
Unit = cm or inches

How Variable is Used is Important

Age
Number of Years Quantitative
Child or Adult Categorical
Educational Level
HS, Some College, Bachelors, Advanced Degree
Categorical
Number of Years - Quantitative

Where, When, Why, and

How
Provides additional context to data.
Not directly in the Data Table.
Questions to ask yourself
Where did the data come from?
When were the data collected?
How were the data obtained?
Why were the data gathered?

5 Ws Example
At the beginning of the semester, Stat 101

students have been asked to complete a

general survey to obtain information about
demographic and other variables in order to
provide interesting examples to use during
the course. Data were collected from the
Spring 2004 through Spring 2007 semesters.
What are the population and sample?
What are the 5Ws?