SMS1024

ELEMENTARY STATISTICS
COURSE NOTE

NOORAZRIN BINTI ABDUL RAJAK

Department of Mathematics
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
WHAT IS STATISTICS?
Statistics:
Group of method used to collect, analyze, present and interpret
data, and to make decisions.

Types of statistics:
i) Descriptive statistics
-Consists of methods for organizing, displaying, and describing data
by using tables, graphs, and summary measures.

ii) Inferential statistics

-Consists of methods that use sample results to help make decisions
or predictions about a population.
-also called inductive statistics
 Population versus Samples

Population
-Consists of all elements
(individuals, items or objects)
whose characteristics are
being studied.
Samples
-a portion of the population
selected for study/piece of
the population

-Census: a survey that -Sample survey: collecting

includes every members of information from a portion of
population the population.
 Sample survey

Representative Sample
- A sample that represents the characteristics of the population as
closely as possible. Inferences derived from a representative
sample will be more reliable.

Random sample
- Each element of the population has a chance of being
included/selected in the sample.
- If all samples of the same size selected from a population have
the same chance of being selected, we call it simple random
sampling.
 Why pick a sample at all ?

Most of the time we cannot study the

entire population, so we must use a
sample as a guide because:
-it would take too much time to study the entire population

-it would cost too much money to study the entire population

-it might not be possible to identify all the members of the

population
 Parameter:
-A numerical measure calculated for a
population data set.
-Example: µ , σ

Sample statistics:
-A summary measure calculated for a
sample data set
-Example: x , s
 Types of Variables
Quantitative variables Qualitative or categorical
variables
-a variable that can assume
numerical values/ be -a variable that cannot
measure numerically. assume a numerical value but
-the data that collected on a can be classified into two or
quantitative variable are more nonnumeric categories
called quantitative data
-Example: gender

Discrete variables Continuous variables

-a variable whose -a variables that can

values are countable assume any numerical
value over a certain
-Example: no. of interval or intervals
student in class
-Example: time to
complete an
examination, any
variables involve
money
Exercises 1.1:
1) Briefly explain the differences between a census and a sample
survey. Why is conducting a sample survey preferable to
conducting a census?

2) Briefly explain Qualitative / Quantitative variable.

3) Explain whether each of the following constitutes a population or a

sample.

a) Scores of all students in a Statistics class.

b) Yield of potatoes per acre for 10 pieces of land.
c) Weekly salaries of all employees of a company.
d) Cattle owned by 100 farmers in a state.
e) Number of computers sold during a week at all computer stores
in Tanjong Malim.
f) Number of students in this group who take SMS1024 this
semester.
Exercises 1.1(continued):
3) Indicate which of the following variables are quantitative and
which are qualitative. Classify the quantitative variable as
discrete or continuous.

a) Number of persons in a family.

b) Colour of cars.
c) Marital status of people.
d) Length of a frog’s jump.
e) Number of students in a class.
f) Gender of the newborn babies in the hospital.
g) Number of typographical errors in newspapers.
h) Qualification of the candidates applies a new job.
 Reflection
? What is Statistics?
? Types of Statistics?
? What is population?
? What is sample?
? Types of variables?
? Example of discrete variable?
? Example of continuous variable?
? Do you enjoy the class?
? Understand enough? 