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Lecture 1 Introduction To Statistics

Statistics

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6 views3 pages

Lecture 1 Introduction To Statistics

Statistics

Uploaded by

yuf9778
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Introduction to Statistics

1. Definition
Statistics is a branch of mathematics dealing with collection, analysis, interpretation
presentation of masses of numerical data. The word statistics refers to “numerical facts
systematically arranged”.

1.1. Use of statistical information

The statistical information is and can be used for a variety of reasons some of them are:
 To inform general public
 To explain things that have happened 
To justify a claim
 To provide general comparison
 To predict the decision regarding future outcomes 
To estimate the unknown quantities;
 To establish association/relationship between factors
Hence statistics is that subject which is more than just numbers. It tells us what is done to or with
numbers.

1.2. Importance of statistics

Statistics is perhaps a subject that is used by everybody. The following functions and uses of
statistics in most diverse fields serve to indicate its importance.
 Statistics assists in summarizing the large sets of data in a form that is easily
understandable.
 Statistics assists in the efficient design of laboratory and field experiment as well as
surveys.
 Statistics assists in a sound and effective planning in any field of inquiry.
 Statistics assists in drawing general conclusions and in making predictions of how much
of a thing will happen under given conditions.
 Statistical techniques Being powerful tools but analyzing numerical data, are used in almost
every branch of learning. In biological and physical sciences, Genetics, Agronomy,
Astronomy, Physics, Geology etc. are the main areas where statistical techniques have been
developed and very increasingly used.
 A businessman, and industrialist and the research worker all employ statistical methods in
their work. Banks, insurance companies and governments all have their statistics
departments.
 A modern administrator whether in public or private sector, leans statistical data to provide
a factual basis for decision.
 Politician uses statistics advantageously lends the support and credence to his argument
while elucidating the problem he handles.
 Social scientist uses statistical method in various areas of socio-economic life of a nation.
It is sometimes said that “a social scientist without an adequate
understanding of

MS. AYESHA AWAIS 1


statistics is often like the blind man groping in a dark room for a black
cat that is not
there”.

1.3. Types of Statistics

Statistics as a subject, may be divided into two types

1. Descriptive statistics
2. Inferential statistics

1.3.1. Descriptive Statistics


Descriptive statistics is that branch of statistics which deals with concepts and methods concerned with
summarization and description of the important aspects of numerical data. This area of study consists
of condensation of data, their graphical displays and the computation of a few numerical quantities that
provides information about the center of data and indicate the spread of the observations.

1.3.2. Inferential Statistics


Inferential statistics deals with the procedures for making inferences/conclusions about the
characteristics that describe the large group of data or the whole, called the population, from the
knowledge derived from only a part of data, known as sample. This area includes the estimation of
population parameters and testing of statistical hypotheses.

1.3.3. Comparison with examples

Descriptive Statistics Inferential Statistics

A cricket player wants to find his score A cricket player wants to estimate his chance
average for the last 20 games. of scoring based on his current season
average.

Amir wants to describe the variation in his Based on the first four test scores, Amir
four test scores in English. would like to predict the variation in his final
English test scores.

Mrs. Rashid wants to determine the average Based on last 6 months grocery bills, Mrs.
weekly amount she spent on groceries in the Rashid would like to predict the average
past 6 months amount she will spend on the groceries for
the upcoming year.

1.4. Population and Sample


A population or a statistical population Is a collection or set of all possible observations whether
finite or infinite, Relevant to some characteristic of interest. A statistical population may be real
such as The heights of all college students or hypothetical such as all possible outcomes from toss
MS. AYESHA AWAIS 2
of a coin. The number of observations in a finite population is called the size of the population and
if denoted by the letter capital “N”. Numerical quantities describing a population are called
parameters.

A sample is a part or subset of a population. Generally, it consists of some of the observations but
in certain situations, it maybe includes the whole population. The number of observations included
in a sample is called the size of sample and is denoted by the letter small “n”. A numerical quantity
computed from a sample is called a statistic.

1.4.1. Example. State whether each of the following is a population or


a sample.
 Total number of absentees by all students in a college during the last month.

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 Number of color TV sets owned by all families in the Lahore.

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 Monthly salaries of all employees of a company.

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 Wheat yield per acre for five pieces of a land.

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 Number of computers sold during the last month at all the computer stores in
Lahore.

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 Blood test to identify certain type of disease.

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MS. AYESHA AWAIS 3

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