Basic statistics

Basic statistics

Statistics:

Like many other sciences Statistics is a developing discipline. It is not static. It has gradually developed during last few decades. In different times, it has been defined in different manners

A.L. Bowley defined statistics as

‘Statistics may be called the science of counting’.

A definition due to W.I. King is

‘Statistics may be defined as the science of collecting, organizing, presenting, analyzing and interpreting numerical data and making valid inferences on the base of the data.’

Types of statistics:

There are two types of statistics

1. Descriptive statistics

2. Inferential statistics.

1. Descriptive Statistics: Descriptive statistics involve graphical and numerical procedures that are used to summarize and process data and to transform data into information.

Example:

A Gallup poll found that 49% of the people in a survey knew the name of the first book of the Bible. The statistic 49 describes the number out of every 100 persons who knew the answer.

2. Inferential Statistics: inferential statistics are used to make inferences about a population from a sample in order to generalize (make assumptions about this wider population) and/or make predictions about the future. Inferential statistics provide the bases for prediction, forecasts and estimates that are used to transform information into knowledge.

Example:

TV networks constantly monitor the popularity of their programs by hiring Nielsen and other organizations to sample the preferences of TV viewer