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Chapter 1: Introduction and Graphical Displays
Definition: Statistics
Statistics as a subject, is the science of collecting, organizing, summarizing,
analyzing, and making inferences from data.
The subject of statistics is divided into two broad areas that incorporate the
collecting, organizing, summarizing, analyzing, and making inferences from
data. These two broad categories can be classified as
descriptive statistics
and
inferential statistics
. Descriptive statistics usually involves the aspects
of collecting, organizing, and numerical summarization of the data. In
addition, descriptive statistics also include graphical summarization of the
data. Inferential statistics usually involves making inferences through
hypothesis testing and estimation through confidence intervals. In addition,
inferential statistics involves modeling associations between different
variables and using these models to help with predictions. These
classifications are shown in
Figure 1-1
.