• Unit 1: Statistics and Data

    In today's technologically advanced world, we have access to large volumes of data. The first step of data analysis is to accurately summarize all of this data, both graphically and numerically, so that we can understand what the data reveals. To be able to use and interpret the data correctly is essential to making informed decisions. For instance, when you see a survey of opinion about a certain TV program, you may be interested in the proportion of those people who indeed like the program. 

    In this unit, you will learn about descriptive statistics, which are used to summarize and display data. After completing this unit, you will know how to present your findings once you have collected data. For example, suppose you want to buy a new mobile phone with a particular type of a camera. Suppose you are not sure about the prices of any of the phones with this feature, so you access a website that provides you with a sample data set of prices, given your desired features. Looking at all of the prices in a sample can sometimes be confusing. A better way to compare this data might be to look at the median price and the variation of prices. The median and variation are two ways out of several ways that you can describe data. You can also graph the data so that it is easier to see what the price distribution looks like. 

    In this unit, you will study precisely this; namely, you will learn both numerical and graphical ways to describe and display your data. You will understand the essentials of calculating common descriptive statistics for measuring center, variability, and skewness in data. You will learn to calculate and interpret these measurements and graphs.

    Descriptive statistics are, as their name suggests, descriptive. They do not generalize beyond the data considered. Descriptive statistics illustrate what the data shows. Numerical descriptive measures computed from data are called statistics. Numerical descriptive measures of the population are called parameters. Inferential statistics can be used to generalize the findings from sample data to a broader population.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours.

    • 1.1: The Science of Statistics and Its Importance

        • 1.1.1: What is Statistics?

        • 1.1.2: Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

        • 1.1.3: Types of Data and Their Collection

      • 1.2: Methods for Describing Data

          • 1.2.1: Graphical Methods for Describing Quantitative Data

          • 1.2.2: Numerical Measures of Central Tendency and Variability

          • 1.2.3: Methods for Describing Relative Standing

          • 1.2.4: Methods for Describing Bivariate Relationships

        • Unit 1 Assessment

          • Receive a grade