S TAT I S T I C S

BASIC CONCEPTS
OF STATISTICS
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing,
presenting, analyzing and interpreting numerical
data.
• refer to the mere tabulation of numeric
information in reports of stock, market
transactions, or to the body of techniques used in
processing or analyzing data.
Statistical Methods
Statistician
• A person who simply collects information or
one who prepares analysis or interpretations.
• A scholar who develops a mathematical
theory on which the science of statistics is
based.
Data
• the raw material which the statistician works.
It can be found through surveys, experiments,
numerical records, and other modes of
research
STATISTICIANS WHO CONTRIBUTES
TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF STATISTICS
The following persons were statisticians who contribute to the
development of statistics:
• Adolf Quetelet
• John Graunt
• Carl Gauss
• Sir Francis Galton and Karl Pearson
• Abraham De Moivre
• William Goset
• Sir Ronald Fisher
USES OF STATISTICS
The following are the uses of statistics in
general.
1. Statistics can give a precise description of data.
2. Statistics can predict the outcome of experiment
or the behavior of an individual.
3. Statistics can be used to test a hypothesis.
 CATEGORIES OF STATISTICS
1. Descriptive Statistics – is concerned with
collecting, organizing, presenting, and analyzing
numerical data. The statistician tries to describe a
situation.
• Masses of unorganized numerical data are of
little value unless statistical techniques are
available to organize this type of data and
present them into a meaningful form such as in
the form of tables, charts and graphs.
EXAMPLES OF DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS:
• Over-all average of students grades in his seven subjects.
• Median sale of computers for the month of January.
• 63% of those found to have diabetes were not aware that they have
such disease.
• Cigarettes were associated with 29% of the 4,470civilian fire deaths
in 2012.
• The mean cholesterol level of patients with myocardial infarction.
• Frequency distribution of fasting serum cholesterol level (mg/dL) of
1000 male Medical students.
2. Inferential Statistics – also called Statistical
Inference or Inductive Statistics, is concerned with
analyzing the organized data leading to prediction or
inferences.

• It implies that before carrying out an inference,

appropriate and correct descriptive measures or methods
are employed to bring out good results.
• The area of inferential statistics called hypothesis
testing is a decision-making process for evaluating claims
about a population, based on the information obtained
from samples.
EXAMPLES OF INFERENTIAL STATISTICS:

• Majority of the patients who died of lung and liver cancer are males.
• Carbon monoxide is one of the major pollutants of smog.
• Wearing seat belts increases the chance of survival in automobiles
accidents.
• Drinking red wine may reduce the risk of heart diseases by 12%.
• Carrot juice may strengthen the lungs.
• Aspirin may lower the rate of heart attacks by 50%
POPULATION AND SAMPLE
Population or the universe refers to the
collection of all traits under study or under
consideration. A small part of this big group is
called a sample.
• Population – refers to the
groups or aggregates of
people, objects, materials,
events, or things of any form.
• The totality of all the samples.
• The measures of population
are called “parameters”.
P O P U LAT I O N : PA RA M ETERS
• Sample – is a subgroup of
the population.
• Taken from the population
so as to represent the
population characteristics or
traits.
• The measures of the samples
are called “estimates” or
“statistic”.
SA M P LE : E S T I M AT E S
• Examples of population:
• Scores of the entire
students of secondary level
• All children of any age who
have older or younger
siblings
KEY TERM:ENTIRE, ALL,
GENERAL
• Examples of sample:
• Scores of students in a class
• The 40 children who actually
participated in one specific
study about siblings.
• 10 students who can
manipulate the computer
easily.
KEY TERM:CLASS, 40, 10,
SPECIFIC
VARIABLES AND
D ATA
 VARIABLE
• The characteristic that is being studied is called
variable.
• It varies across individuals or objects.
• The conditions or characteristics that the
experimenter manipulates, controls or observes.
• It includes age, race, gender, intelligence, personality
type, attitudes, political or religious affiliation, height,
weight, marital status, eye color, etc.
 TWO TYPES OF VARIABLES
1. Qualitative Variables
2. Quantitative
A. Discrete Variable
B. Continuous Variable
 1. QUALITATIVE VARIABLES
– represent differences in quality, character, or kind but not in
amount.

• Ex. Sex, birthplace or geographic locations, religious

preference, marital status, eye color, brand of computer
purchased, etc.
2. QUANTITATIVE VARIABLES
– numerical in nature and can be ordered or ranked.

• Ex. Weight, height, age, test scores, speed and body

temperatures, grades, etc.
A. DISCRETE VARIABLE
– is a variable whose values can be counted using integral
values.

• Ex. Number of enrollees, drop-outs, deaths, number of

students in a classroom, number of computers functioning,
number of mathematics subjects and number of calls
received.
B. CONTINUOUS VARIABLE
• – is a variable that can assume any numerical value
over an interval or intervals. It can yields decimals
or fractions.

• Ex. Height, weight, temperature, time

TWO TYPES OF VARIABLES

Variable

Quantitative Qualitative

Discrete Continuous