05: Introduction to Statistics

"Statistics is the grammar of science." - Karl Pearson."Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write" – H. G. Wells."They are the only tools by which an opening can be cut through the formidable thicket of difficulties that bars the path of those who pursue the Science of man." - Francis Galton.Lecture outline: introduction to the role of statistics in network performance evaluation.1. What is Statistics?

Statistical model of reality; Reasoning about uncertainty.

2. Introduction to 'descriptive statistics'

Population vs. Sample; Parameter vs. Statistic.

Examples of descriptive statistics.

3. Introduction to 'inferential statistics'

Examples of inferential statistics: sampling; hypothesis testing; regression analysis.

Primary reference for this lecture:

“Statistics in Plain English", Timothy Urdan.

Secondary references for this lecture:

1. “Mind on Statistics", Jessica Utts and Robert Heckard.

2. “Head First Statistics", Dawn Griffiths, O'Reilly Press.

3. "Probability, Statistics and Queueing Theory with Computer Science Applications" by Arnold Allen, Chapter 7, Estimation and Data Analysis.