Lesson 1: INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS 1

Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, summarizing, and analyzing information to draw
conclusions or answer questions. In addition, statistics is about providing a measure of confidence in
any conclusions.
• Statistics is important because it enables people to make decisions based on empirical evidence.
• Statistics provides us with tools needed to convert massive data into pertinent information that
can be used in decision making.
• Statistics can provide us information that we can use to make sensible decisions.

Data is “factual information used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation”.

Data can be numerical, as in height, or non-numerical, as in gender. In either case, data describe
characteristics of an individual.

Field of Statistics

A. Mathematical Statistics- The study and development of statistical theory and methods in the
abstract.
B. Applied Statistics- The application of statistical methods to solve real problems involving
randomly generated data and the development of new statistical methodology motivated by
real problems. Example branches of Applied Statistics: psychometric, econometrics, and
biostatistics.

Limitation of Statistics

1. Statistics is not suitable for the study of qualitative phenomena.

2. Statistics does not study individuals.
3. Statistical laws are not exact.
4. Statistics table may be misused.
5. Statistics is only one of the methods of studying a problem.

Definitions:

1. Universe is the set of all entities under study.

2. A Population is the total or entire group of individuals or observations from which information is
desired by a researcher. Apart from persons, a population may consist of mosquitoes, villages,
institutions, etc.
3. An individual is a person or object that is a member of the population being studied.
4. A statistic is a numerical summary of a sample.
5. Sample is the subset of the population.
 6. Descriptive statistics consist of organizing and summarizing data. Descriptive statistics describe
data through numerical summaries, tables, and graphs.
7. Inferential statistics uses methods that take a result from a sample, extend it to the population,
and measure the reliability of the result.
8. A parameter is a numerical summary of a population.

PROCESS OF STATISTICS

1. Identify the research objective.

2. Collect the information needed to answer the questions.
3. Organize and summarize the information
4. Draw conclusions from the information.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE VARIABLES

Variables are the characteristics of the individuals within the population.

Variables can be classified into two groups:

1. Qualitative variables (Categorical) is a variable that yields categorical responses. It is a word or a
code that represents a class or category.
2. Quantitative variables (Numeric) take on numerical values representing an amount or quantity.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN DISCRETE AND CONTINUOUS

Quantitative variables may be further classified into:

1. A discrete variable is a quantitative variable that has either a finite number of possible values or
a countable number of possible values. If you count to get the value of a quantitative variable, it
is discrete.
2. A continuous variable is a quantitative variable that has an infinite number of possible values
that are not countable. If you measure to get the value of a quantitative variable, it is
continuous.

LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT

Levels of Measurement
 1. Nominal Level - They are sometimes called categorical scales or categorical data. Such a scale
classifies persons or objects into two or more categories. Whatever the basis for classification, a
person can only be in one category, and members of a given category have a common set of
characteristics.
2. Ordinal Level - This involves data that may be arranged in some order, but differences between
data values either cannot be determined or meaningless. An ordinal scale not only classifies
subjects but also ranks them in terms of the degree to which they possess characteristics of
interest. In other words, an ordinal scale puts the subjects in order from highest to lowest, from
most to least. Although ordinal scales indicate that some subjects are higher, or lower than
others, they do not indicate how much higher or how much better.
3. Interval Level - This measurement level not only classifies and orders the measurements, but it
also specifies that the distances between each interval on the scale are equivalent along the
scale from low interval to high interval. A value of zero does not mean the absence of the
quantity. Arithmetic operations such as addition and subtraction can be performed on values of
the variable.
4. Ratio Level - A ratio scale represents the highest, most precise, level of measurement. It has the
properties of the interval level of measurement and the ratios of the values of the variable have
meaning. A value of zero means the absence of the quantity. Arithmetic operations such as
multiplication and division can be performed on the values of the variable.

References:

Statistics. Informed Decision using Data by Michael Sullivan, III,. Fifth Edition

Sampling: Design and Analysis by Sharon L. Lhr. Second Edition