Basic Definitions and Concepts

Read section 1 from chapter 1 to further enhance your understanding of the elements of descriptive and inferential statistics. This section will introduce some of the key concepts in statistics and has numerous exercise and examples. Complete the odd-numbered exercises before checking the answers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Statistics is a study of data: describing properties of data (descriptive statistics) and drawing conclusions about a population based on information in a sample (inferential statistics).
  • The distinction between a population together with its parameters and a sample together with its statistics is a fundamental concept in inferential statistics.
  • Information in a sample is used to make inferences about the population from which the sample was drawn.