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at 01/09/2024 Chapter 3: Basic statistics--A review ‘The primary goal of most statistical analysis is to make statistical inference, that is, to draw Valid conclusions about a population of items or measurements based on information contained in a sample from that population. ‘A population is any set of items or measurements of interest, and a sample is any subset of items selected from that population. Any characteristic of that population is called a parameter, and any characteristic of the sample is termed a statistic, © ae oat ‘We will review the following topics: I. Descriptive Statistios 2. Random Variables and Distributions 3. Statistical Inference: Estimation t 4. Statistical Inference: Hypothesis Testing 1. Descriptive Statistics ‘The most common types of descriptive statistics are measures of central tendency and of variability (or dispersion). Measure of centraltendency: The somple mean , olenobed ba X, if vowalle is X i: Be nw 7 he Sample. size eX Xn observed values Measures of variability: the sample vaviene ond the sample chanlora cleviotion Sample VY. = $°= 55 Z(%-x) (an unbiased echivn ater” of ) Often the most direct and revealing way to examine the data is to make a series of plots. We describe three types of simple but useful plots: 1) Histograms + for coubinuous vayiable ebb - skeweel esopeam ot + right - skewed * Medion > Q2 “TAR : 3-@) \s a weosuye of dhe spread of a distibution . * Dalles : Values > RZ rl.br0R Values 2 Q)-1& To I —20, { FIGURE 3.2. Schema — Sat Assess how well data oulhere . a ~~ +o a twynal distribution 5 2 ws + plots tok ove linear > vovmality * (a) v Cb)-td) xX 2, Random Variables and Distributions ‘The term random variable is used to denote a variable whose observed values may be considered outcomes of a stochastic or random experiment (€.g., the drawing of a random sample). Example: If we select a random sample of persons from some community and determine the systolic blood pressure (W), cholesterol level (X), race (¥), and sex (2) of each person, then W/, X,Y, and Z are four random variables. ——E—T———<«'s «Discrete random variables whose possible values are countable (such as the number of deaths in a sample of patients or the number of arrivals at a clinic), have distributions that are graphed as a series of vertical lines. * Continuous random variables ‘whose possible values are uncountable (such as blood pressure and weight), have dis that are graphed as smooth curves. meee) Pla

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