BASIC TERMS IN

STATISTICS
LESSON 3
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
At the end of the lesson, the learner is able to

• Define universe and differentiate it with population;

and
• Define and differentiate between qualitative and
quantitative variables, and between discrete and
continuous variables (that are quantitative);
DEFINITION OF TERMS
•universe is the collection or set of units or entities
from whom we got the data
•population consists of all subjects (human or
otherwise) that are being studied
•sample is a group of subjects selected from a
population
•variable is a characteristic that is observable or
measurable in every unit of the universe
 Variable 1 Variable 2 Variable 12

Unit 1 Value 1 Value 1 Value 1

Unit 2 Value 2 Value 2 Value 2
Unit 3 Value 3 Value 3 Value 3
…
: : : :
: : : :
Unit N Value N Value N Value N

Population of Population of Population of

UNIVERSE
Variable 1 Variable 2 Variable 12

Unit 1 Value 1
OR
: :
: :
SAMPLE
Unit n Value n

A SAMPLE OF UNITS A SAMPLE OF

POPULATION VALUES
 VARIABLES

QUANTITATIVE QUALITATIVE

DISCRETE CONTINUOUS
KEY POINTS
• A universe is a collection of units from which
the data were gathered.
• A variable is a characteristic we observed or
measured from every element of the universe.
• A population consists of all subjects that are
being studied
• A sample is a group of subjects from a
population.
• In a study there is only one universe but could
have several populations.
• Variables could be classified as qualitative or
quantitative, and the latter could be further
classified as discrete or continuous.
THANK YOU
QUALITATIVE VARIABLES
• Qualitative variables are variables that can be
placed into distinct categories, according to some
characteristic or attribute.
• Qualitative variables express a categorical
attribute, such as sex (male or female), religion,
marital status, region of residence, highest
educational attainment.
• Qualitative data answer questions “what kind.”
QUANTITATIVE VARIABLES
• Quantitative variables are numerical and can be
ordered or ranked.

• Quantitative variables whose sizes are meaningful,

answer questions such as “how much” or “how
many”.

Examples: height, weight, number of siblings, etc.

QUANTITATIVE VARIABLES
Quantitative data may be further classified into:

a. Discrete variables assume values that can be

counted. This can assigned values such as 0, 1, 2, 3, …

b. Continuous data can assume all values between

any two specific values. They are obtained by
measuring.