Statistics Defined
(Plural sense) A collection of facts and figures or processed data, e.g., vital statistics, frequency of rain in a year, % survival, etc.
(Singular sense – statistics as a science) A body of knowledge concerned with the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data.
Statistics provides tools in...
> Data analysis and interpretation
> Designing experiments or surveys
Statistics is Used in Various Fields
> Education
> Social Sciences
> Agriculture
> Forestry
> Medicine
> Engineering
> Chemistry
> Biology
> Environmental Sciences, etc.
Two Broad Categories in Statistics
1. Descriptive Statistics
> Used to describe a mass of data in a clear, concise, and informative way
> It employs the methods of organizing, summarizing, and presenting datasets.
2. Inferential Statistics
> Concerned with making generalizations or inferences about the characteristics of a larger set where only a part is examined
Terms in Statistics
1. Population or Universe
> A collection or set of all individuals or entities whose characteristics are to be studied
> It answers the question “who or which?”
Finite – elements/units of the population can be counted for a given “realistic” time period (i.e., limited)
Infinite – number of elements/units of the population is unlimited or very large (i.e., cannot be ascertained)
2. Variable
> Attribute or characteristic of interest measurable on each and every unit of the population
> Answers the question “What of the elements?”
> Eg. Age, Sex, Educational Attainment, IQ score, etc.
3. Qualitative
> It assumes values that are NOT NUMERICAL but can be categorized.
> Categories may be identified by either non-numerical descriptions (names, aliases, symbols, etc.) or by numerical codes
4. Quantitative
> Indicates the quantity or amount of a characteristic
> Data is ALWAYS numeric
> Can be discrete (ranked or count) or continuous (w/ decimal)
5. Discrete Variable
> Discrete variables are countable in a finite amount of time.
> For example, you can count the change in your pocket. You can count the money in your bank account. You could also count the amount of money in everyone’s bank accounts. It might take you a long time to count that last item, but the point is—it’s still countable.
> Eg. Number of eggs on a tray
6. Continuous Variable
> Continuous Variables would (literally) take forever to count. In fact, you would get to “forever” and never finish counting them.
> For example, take age.
> You can’t count “age”. Why not? Because it would literally take forever. For example, you could be: 25 years, 10 months, 2 days, 5 hours, 4 seconds, 4 milliseconds, 8 nanoseconds, 99 picoseconds… and so on.
Programs or Tools Used in Statistical Data Analysis
1. Microsoft Excel
2. SPSS
3. Minitab
4. SAS
5. Apache Spark
6. Tableau Public
7. SQL
8. Python
9. R Programming
10. Stata
11. RapidMiner
12. KNIME
13. QlikView
14. Splu
SPSS
> It is a tool widely used by data analysts and statisticians.
> It stands for Statistical Package for Social Sciences.
> The SPSS software package was created for the management and statistical analysis of social science data.
> It was originally launched in 1968 by SPSS Inc., and was later acquired by IBM in 2009.
> It is used by various kinds of researchers for complex statistical data analysis.
> When it comes to in-depth statistical analysis most researchers consider SPSS the best-in-class solution.
Installing SPSS
> SPSS version 25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfKGxuIVmgw&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0maG6DMmxhn2AB8cZ2EAqNOjcQzrsbYteOjwOnp0p6afHzObqF-fkNF_Y
> Google Drive https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lryOhC8D4vxLrDNABN3bG8wqSA1sHjxU/view
Adding Data Analysis Toolpak in Excel
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqpSwxJ9t2k
References:
> Dela Cruz, C. P. P. (n.d.). Introduction to Statistics
> https://www.alchemer.com/resources/blog/what-is-spss/