| A | B |
|---|
| statistics | science and art of learning from data |
| data | numbers with a context |
| population | large group of individuals |
| sample | small group of individuals representing the population |
| available data | data produced in the past for some other purpose used to help answer a present question |
| statistical designs for producing data | surveys, experiments, observational studies |
| survey | observational, guage of public opinion, sample is chosen to represent population, questions asked and responses recorded, sample results used to draw conclusions about population |
| census | survey of entire population |
| observational study | observe indifviduals and measure variables of interest, but do not attempt to influence the responses |
| experiment | deliberately do something to individuals in order to observe their resonses; best guage of cause and effect |
| data analysis | organizing, displaying, summarizing, and asking questions of data |
| exploratory data analysis | uses graphs and numerical summaries to describe variables and relations among them |
| individuals | objects described by a set of data |
| variable | characteristic of an individual |
| categorical variable | places individual into one of several groups |
| quantitative variable | numerical values for which arithmetic operations make sense |
| distribution | what values a variable takes and how often it takes these vaues |
| mode | most frequent value |
| mean | average |
| median | middle value |
| probability | the language of chance; a result that demonstrates unpredictable short term behavior, but a predictable pattern in the long run |
| statistical inference | produces answers along with a statement of how confident we can be that the answer is correct; intended to apply beyond the individuals studied |
