Scribd
Upload
75 views8 pages

Introduction To Statistics

Statistics involves collecting and analyzing numerical data about populations and samples. There are two main types: descriptive statistics summarizes data, while inferential statistics uses samples to learn about entire populations. Samples are subsets of populations used to represent them. Data can come from primary sources like surveys and experiments or secondary sources like government reports. Statistics are useful but have limitations like only showing averages rather than individual details.

Uploaded by

Casio Manik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
75 views8 pages

Introduction To Statistics

Statistics involves collecting and analyzing numerical data about populations and samples. There are two main types: descriptive statistics summarizes data, while inferential statistics uses samples to learn about entire populations. Samples are subsets of populations used to represent them. Data can come from primary sources like surveys and experiments or secondary sources like government reports. Statistics are useful but have limitations like only showing averages rather than individual details.

Uploaded by

Casio Manik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

Introduction To Statistics

Defining Statistics
Facts and figures about any phenomenon or events are called
statistics. In common everyday usage, then, the term statistics
refers to numerical facts or data.

General Field Of Statistics


Statistics as a general field consists of two major subdivisions:
descriptive statistics and inferential or predictive statistics.
Descriptive Statistics
• Descriptive statistics involves procedures or techniques for
describing, organizing, or summarizing masses of data in
abbreviated or symbolic fashion.
• This is useful in research when communicating the results of
experiments.
• e.g. the scores on the verbal section of the SAT of 10,000
college-bound school students, hourly wages of thousands of
factory workers etc.
Inferential Statistics
• Inferential statistics (also known as inductive statistics) involves making
predictions of values that are not really known.
• It is concerned with finding out some characteristics of the population based
on a sample taken from that population.
• Descriptive statistics aim to summarize a data set, rather than the use of the
data to learn about the population that the data are thought to represent.
• e.g. Suppose we wished to measure the average height of the DU students.
Since it would be impossible to line up all the students of the university and
actually measure them, we would instead select a small number of students
and measure their heights, and then predict the average height for the entire
group.
• In this way, a small number of observations (sample) is used to predict or infer
the characteristics of an entire group (population).
Population And Sample
• In statistics, the concepts of population and sample are of immense
importance.
• Consider the case of a major political party in Bangladesh that would like to
estimate the percentage of all voters.
• One possible way in theory is that every voter could be contacted and asked if
he or she prefers the party's candidate. Such a procedure would be called a
census and all the 60 million eligible voters will constitute the population.
• We note that any attempt to contact 60 million people is impractical from both
time and cost perspectives, however, instead, let us suppose that the political
party selects a sub-set or a portion of 2500 voters believed to be
representative of the 60 million voters. These 2500 voters thus selected will
constitute the sample.
• A statistical population is the collection of all items of interest in a particular
study, while a sample is a subset or part of the population selected to
represent the population.
Statistical Data And Their Sources
• The field of statistics is the science of learning from data. Statistical knowledge helps us learn the proper methods of
collecting data, use the correct method of data analysis, and effectively present the findings.

• Meaning of Data: Data are the observations or chance outcomes that occur in planned experiments or scientific
investigations.

• All statistical data may be broadly classified into two broad categories:
● Qualitative Data
● Quantitative Data

• Qualitative data are generated by assigning observations into various independent categories and then counting the
frequency of the occurrences within these categories, such as counting how many persons in a community are
Muslims.

• Quantitative data, also called metric data, on the other hand, are those which can be measured in quantitative units.
Measurement of height, weight, income, temperature, family size or the number of street accidents over a specified
period will all result in quantitative data.
• Data, whether quantitative or qualitative originate from two major sources:

(a)Primary sources
(b)Secondary sources
Primary Data

Primary data are the raw materials of primary investigations. They are the first hand or original data that have been
collected specially for the purpose in mind and that these data have not undergone any sort of statistical treatment.
Data collected this way is called primary data. Primary data have not been published yet and are more reliable,
authentic and objective.

Sources of Primary Data

● Focus Group - A group of people, discussing the focus of the research.


● Survey - Most commonly used method in social sciences, management, and marketing. Conducted in different
methods, and is based on questionnaires with a set of carefully designed questions posed to the target population.
● Interview - Face-to-face conversation with the respondents.Slow, expensive, and takes people away from their
regular jobs.
● Observation - Can be made in natural settings as well as in artificially created environments.
● Experimentation - In an experiment, strict control is exercised over the treatment. For example, in a study testing
the effectiveness of laundry detergent, the experimenter would determine which brands in the study are more
effective in cleaning soiled clothes by actually washing them instead of asking customers.
● Online Survey - One of the most popular data collection sources. A set of survey questions is sent out to a target
sample and the members of this sample can respond to the questions over the internet. The main reason for the
growth in online surveys is the low costs, and convenience due to the sheer magnitude of reach.
Secondary Data

Secondary data refer to the data that have been already collected by and readily available from other sources.
Such data are cheaper and more quickly obtainable than the primary data and also may be available when primary
data cannot be obtained at all.

Sources of Secondary Data

● Internal Sources - Data which are stored inside your organization. Examples include: profit and loss
statements, balance sheets, sales figures, previous marketing research studies etc.
● External Sources - Data which are collected from outside the organization in a larger
environment. Examples include: government publications, non-government publications, syndicate services,
reviewing relevant literature etc.
Characteristics Of Statistics

1. Statistics should deal with the average of observations of individuals rather than with individuals alone.
2. Statistics should be expressed as numerical figures.
3. Statistics should have the property of being varied by multiplicity of causes.
4. Statistics collected should be of reasonable standards of accuracy.
5. Statistics should be obtained for pre-determined purposes.
6. Statistics collected should allow comparison with other data.
Limitations Of Statistics
1. There are certain phenomena or concepts where statistics cannot be applied, e.g. beauty, intelligence,
religions etc.
2. Statistics reveal the average behavior, e.g. one may be misguided when told that the average depth of a
canal from one bank to the other is four feet.
3. Statistics are not 100 percent precise as is Mathematics or Accountancy.

You might also like