Basic Statistics

Chapter 1: The Nature of Probability and

Statistics

Lecture Notes

November 22 & 29, 2016

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Objectives

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of statistical terms;

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of statistical terms;
2. differentiate between the two branches of statistics;

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of statistical terms;
2. differentiate between the two branches of statistics;
3. identify types of data;

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of statistical terms;
2. differentiate between the two branches of statistics;
3. identify types of data;
4. identify the measurement level for each variable;

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of statistical terms;
2. differentiate between the two branches of statistics;
3. identify types of data;
4. identify the measurement level for each variable;
5. identify the four basic sampling techniques;

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports:

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.
Public Health:

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.
Public Health: The Department of Health might be concerned
with the number of Filipino who have Zika virus this year.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.
Public Health: The Department of Health might be concerned
with the number of Filipino who have Zika virus this year.
Education

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.
Public Health: The Department of Health might be concerned
with the number of Filipino who have Zika virus this year.
Education A researcher might want to know if new methods of
teaching are better than old ones.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.
Public Health: The Department of Health might be concerned
with the number of Filipino who have Zika virus this year.
Education A researcher might want to know if new methods of
teaching are better than old ones.
Business

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.
Public Health: The Department of Health might be concerned
with the number of Filipino who have Zika virus this year.
Education A researcher might want to know if new methods of
teaching are better than old ones.
Business A company might be concerned about the number of
product to manufacture.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics...

is used in almost all fields of human endeavor.

Sports: A statistician may keep records of the number of three
point attempts a basketball player during a conference or the
number of blocks a volleyball player during a season.
Public Health: The Department of Health might be concerned
with the number of Filipino who have Zika virus this year.
Education A researcher might want to know if new methods of
teaching are better than old ones.
Business A company might be concerned about the number of
product to manufacture.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics (Other Uses)

• analyze the results of surveys

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics (Other Uses)

• analyze the results of surveys

• a tool in scientific research to make decisions based on controlled
experiments.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics (Other Uses)

• analyze the results of surveys

• a tool in scientific research to make decisions based on controlled
experiments.
• operations research, quality control, estimation, and prediction

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics (Other Uses)

• analyze the results of surveys

• a tool in scientific research to make decisions based on controlled
experiments.
• operations research, quality control, estimation, and prediction
Definition
Statistics is the science of conducting studies to collect, organize,
summarize, analyze,and draw conclusions from data.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics (Other Uses)

• analyze the results of surveys

• a tool in scientific research to make decisions based on controlled
experiments.
• operations research, quality control, estimation, and prediction
Definition
Statistics is the science of conducting studies to collect, organize,
summarize, analyze,and draw conclusions from data.

(As a student) Why do you need to study statistics?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics (Other Uses)

• analyze the results of surveys

• a tool in scientific research to make decisions based on controlled
experiments.
• operations research, quality control, estimation, and prediction
Definition
Statistics is the science of conducting studies to collect, organize,
summarize, analyze,and draw conclusions from data.

(As a student) Why do you need to study statistics?

1. To be able to read and understand the various statistical studies
performed in your fields.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics (Other Uses)

• analyze the results of surveys

• a tool in scientific research to make decisions based on controlled
experiments.
• operations research, quality control, estimation, and prediction
Definition
Statistics is the science of conducting studies to collect, organize,
summarize, analyze,and draw conclusions from data.

(As a student) Why do you need to study statistics?

1. To be able to read and understand the various statistical studies
performed in your fields. To have this understanding, you must be
knowledgeable about the vocabulary, symbols, concepts, and
statistical procedures used in these studies.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics

2. You may be called on to conduct research in your field, since

statistical procedures are basic to research.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics

2. You may be called on to conduct research in your field, since

statistical procedures are basic to research. To accomplish this,
you must be able to design experiments; collect, organize, analyze,
and summarize data; and possibly make reliable predictions or
forecasts for future use.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics

2. You may be called on to conduct research in your field, since

statistical procedures are basic to research. To accomplish this,
you must be able to design experiments; collect, organize, analyze,
and summarize data; and possibly make reliable predictions or
forecasts for future use. You must also be able to communicate
the results of the study in your own words.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics

2. You may be called on to conduct research in your field, since

statistical procedures are basic to research. To accomplish this,
you must be able to design experiments; collect, organize, analyze,
and summarize data; and possibly make reliable predictions or
forecasts for future use. You must also be able to communicate
the results of the study in your own words.
3. You can also use the knowledge gained from studying statistics
to become better consumers and citizens.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Statistics

2. You may be called on to conduct research in your field, since

statistical procedures are basic to research. To accomplish this,
you must be able to design experiments; collect, organize, analyze,
and summarize data; and possibly make reliable predictions or
forecasts for future use. You must also be able to communicate
the results of the study in your own words.
3. You can also use the knowledge gained from studying statistics
to become better consumers and citizens. For example, you can
make intelligent decisions about what products to purchase based
on consumer studies, about government spending based on
utilization studies, and so on.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
A variable is a characteristic or attribute that can assume different
values.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
A variable is a characteristic or attribute that can assume different
values.

Example: Height, weight, temperature, number of phone calls,

etc.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
A variable is a characteristic or attribute that can assume different
values.

Example: Height, weight, temperature, number of phone calls,

etc.
Variables whose values are determined by chance are called
random variables.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
A variable is a characteristic or attribute that can assume different
values.

Example: Height, weight, temperature, number of phone calls,

etc.
Variables whose values are determined by chance are called
random variables.
Data are the values (measurements or observations) that the
variables can assume.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
A variable is a characteristic or attribute that can assume different
values.

Example: Height, weight, temperature, number of phone calls,

etc.
Variables whose values are determined by chance are called
random variables.
Data are the values (measurements or observations) that the
variables can assume.
A collection of data values forms a data set. Each value in the
data set is called a data value or a datum.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
Descriptive Statistics consists of the collection, organization,
summarization, and presentation of data.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
Descriptive Statistics consists of the collection, organization,
summarization, and presentation of data.

In descriptive statistics, statistician tries to describe a situation.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
Descriptive Statistics consists of the collection, organization,
summarization, and presentation of data.

In descriptive statistics, statistician tries to describe a situation.

Definition
Inferential Statistics consists of generalizing from samples to
population, performing estimation and hypothesis tests,
determining relationships among variables, and making predictions.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
Descriptive Statistics consists of the collection, organization,
summarization, and presentation of data.

In descriptive statistics, statistician tries to describe a situation.

Definition
Inferential Statistics consists of generalizing from samples to
population, performing estimation and hypothesis tests,
determining relationships among variables, and making predictions.

In inferential statistics, statistician tries to make inferences from

samples to populations.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Definition
Descriptive Statistics consists of the collection, organization,
summarization, and presentation of data.

In descriptive statistics, statistician tries to describe a situation.

Definition
Inferential Statistics consists of generalizing from samples to
population, performing estimation and hypothesis tests,
determining relationships among variables, and making predictions.

In inferential statistics, statistician tries to make inferences from

samples to populations. Inferential statistics uses probability, that
is, the chance of an event occurring.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Population and Samples

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Population and Samples

Definition
A population consists of all subjects (human or otherwise) that
are being studied.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Population and Samples

Definition
A population consists of all subjects (human or otherwise) that
are being studied.

Most of the time, due to the expense, time, size of population,

medical concerns, etc., it is not possible to use the entire
population for a statistical study; therefore, researchers use
samples.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Population and Samples

Definition
A population consists of all subjects (human or otherwise) that
are being studied.

Most of the time, due to the expense, time, size of population,

medical concerns, etc., it is not possible to use the entire
population for a statistical study; therefore, researchers use
samples.
Definition
A sample is a group of subjects selected from a population.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Population and Samples

Definition
A population consists of all subjects (human or otherwise) that
are being studied.

Most of the time, due to the expense, time, size of population,

medical concerns, etc., it is not possible to use the entire
population for a statistical study; therefore, researchers use
samples.
Definition
A sample is a group of subjects selected from a population.

If the subjects of a sample are properly selected, most of the time

they should possess the same or similar characteristics as the
subjects in the population.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

An area of inferential statistics called hypothesis testing is a

decision-making process for evaluating claims about a population,
based on information obtained from samples.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

An area of inferential statistics called hypothesis testing is a

decision-making process for evaluating claims about a population,
based on information obtained from samples.

For example, a researcher may wish to know if a new drug will

reduce the number of heart attacks in men over 70 years of age.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

An area of inferential statistics called hypothesis testing is a

decision-making process for evaluating claims about a population,
based on information obtained from samples.

For example, a researcher may wish to know if a new drug will

reduce the number of heart attacks in men over 70 years of age.
For this study, two groups of men over 70 would be selected.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

An area of inferential statistics called hypothesis testing is a

decision-making process for evaluating claims about a population,
based on information obtained from samples.

For example, a researcher may wish to know if a new drug will

reduce the number of heart attacks in men over 70 years of age.
For this study, two groups of men over 70 would be selected. One
group would be given the drug, and the other would be given a
placebo (a substance with no medical benefits or harm).

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

An area of inferential statistics called hypothesis testing is a

decision-making process for evaluating claims about a population,
based on information obtained from samples.

For example, a researcher may wish to know if a new drug will

reduce the number of heart attacks in men over 70 years of age.
For this study, two groups of men over 70 would be selected. One
group would be given the drug, and the other would be given a
placebo (a substance with no medical benefits or harm). Later, the
number of heart attacks occurring in each group of men would be
counted, a statistical test would be run, and a decision would be
made about the effectiveness of the drug.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Statisticians also use statistics to determine relationships among

variables.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Statisticians also use statistics to determine relationships among

variables.

For example, the Surgeon General of the United States (and his
group published “Smoking and Health” in 1964) found a definite
relationship between smoking and lung cancer.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Statisticians also use statistics to determine relationships among

variables.

For example, the Surgeon General of the United States (and his
group published “Smoking and Health” in 1964) found a definite
relationship between smoking and lung cancer. He did not say that
cigarette smoking actually causes lung cancer, but that there is a
relationship between smoking and lung cancer. (This conclusion
was based on a study done in 1958 by Hammond and Horn.)

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Statisticians also use statistics to determine relationships among

variables.

For example, the Surgeon General of the United States (and his
group published “Smoking and Health” in 1964) found a definite
relationship between smoking and lung cancer. He did not say that
cigarette smoking actually causes lung cancer, but that there is a
relationship between smoking and lung cancer. (This conclusion
was based on a study done in 1958 by Hammond and Horn.)

Finally, by studying past and present data and conditions,

statisticians try to make predictions based on this information.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Statisticians also use statistics to determine relationships among

variables.

For example, the Surgeon General of the United States (and his
group published “Smoking and Health” in 1964) found a definite
relationship between smoking and lung cancer. He did not say that
cigarette smoking actually causes lung cancer, but that there is a
relationship between smoking and lung cancer. (This conclusion
was based on a study done in 1958 by Hammond and Horn.)

Finally, by studying past and present data and conditions,

statisticians try to make predictions based on this information. For
example, a car dealer may look at past sales records for a specific
month to decide what types of automobiles and how many of each
type to order for that month next year.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

Attendance and Grades

A study conducted at Manatee Community College revealed that
students who attended class 95 to 100% of the time usually
received an A in the class. Students who attended class 80 to 90%
of the time usually received a B or C in the class. Students who
attended class less than 80% of the time usually received a D or an
F or eventually withdrew from the class. Based on this
information, attendance and grades are related. The more you
attend class, the more likely you will receive a higher grade. If you
improve your attendance, your grades will probably improve. Many
factors affect your grade in a course. One factor that you have
considerable control over is attendance. You can increase your
opportunities for learning by attending class more often.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

2. What are the data in the study?
3. Are descriptive, inferential, or both types of statistics used?
4. What is the population under study?
5. Was a sample collected? If so, from where?
6. From the information given, comment on the relationship
between the variables.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Answer: The variables are grades and attendance.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Answer: The variables are grades and attendance.
2. What are the data in the study?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Answer: The variables are grades and attendance.
2. What are the data in the study?
Answer: The data consist of specific grades and attendance
numbers.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Answer: The variables are grades and attendance.
2. What are the data in the study?
Answer: The data consist of specific grades and attendance
numbers.
3. Are descriptive, inferential, or both types of statistics used?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Answer: The variables are grades and attendance.
2. What are the data in the study?
Answer: The data consist of specific grades and attendance
numbers.
3. Are descriptive, inferential, or both types of statistics used?
Answer: These are descriptive statistics.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Answer: The variables are grades and attendance.
2. What are the data in the study?
Answer: The data consist of specific grades and attendance
numbers.
3. Are descriptive, inferential, or both types of statistics used?
Answer: These are descriptive statistics.
4. What is the population under study?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

1. What are the variables under study?

Answer: The variables are grades and attendance.
2. What are the data in the study?
Answer: The data consist of specific grades and attendance
numbers.
3. Are descriptive, inferential, or both types of statistics used?
Answer: These are descriptive statistics.
4. What is the population under study?
Answer: The population under study is students at Manatee
Community College (MCC).

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

5. Was a sample collected? If so, from where?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

5. Was a sample collected? If so, from where?

Answer: While not specified, we probably have data from a
sample of MCC students.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

5. Was a sample collected? If so, from where?

Answer: While not specified, we probably have data from a
sample of MCC students.
6. From the information given, comment on the relationship
between the variables.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Activity: Applying the Concepts

5. Was a sample collected? If so, from where?

Answer: While not specified, we probably have data from a
sample of MCC students.
6. From the information given, comment on the relationship
between the variables.
Answer: Based on the data, it appears that, in general, the
better your attendance the higher your grade.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Qualitative variables are variables that can be placed into distinct

categories, according to some characteristic or attribute.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Qualitative variables are variables that can be placed into distinct

categories, according to some characteristic or attribute.
For example, if subjects are classified according to gender (male or
female), then the variable gender is qualitative.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Qualitative variables are variables that can be placed into distinct

categories, according to some characteristic or attribute.
For example, if subjects are classified according to gender (male or
female), then the variable gender is qualitative. Other examples of
qualitative variables are religious preference and geographic
locations.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Qualitative variables are variables that can be placed into distinct

categories, according to some characteristic or attribute.
For example, if subjects are classified according to gender (male or
female), then the variable gender is qualitative. Other examples of
qualitative variables are religious preference and geographic
locations.
Quantitative variables are numerical and can be ordered or
ranked.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Qualitative variables are variables that can be placed into distinct

categories, according to some characteristic or attribute.
For example, if subjects are classified according to gender (male or
female), then the variable gender is qualitative. Other examples of
qualitative variables are religious preference and geographic
locations.
Quantitative variables are numerical and can be ordered or
ranked.
For example, the variable age is numerical, and people can be
ranked in order according to the value of their ages.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Qualitative variables are variables that can be placed into distinct

categories, according to some characteristic or attribute.
For example, if subjects are classified according to gender (male or
female), then the variable gender is qualitative. Other examples of
qualitative variables are religious preference and geographic
locations.
Quantitative variables are numerical and can be ordered or
ranked.
For example, the variable age is numerical, and people can be
ranked in order according to the value of their ages. Other
examples of quantitative variables are heights, weights, and body
temperatures.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Quantitative variables can be further classified into two groups:

discrete and continuous.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Quantitative variables can be further classified into two groups:

discrete and continuous.
Discrete variables can be assigned values such as 0, 1, 2, 3 and
are said to be countable.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Quantitative variables can be further classified into two groups:

discrete and continuous.
Discrete variables can be assigned values such as 0, 1, 2, 3 and
are said to be countable. Examples of discrete variables are the
number of children in a family

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Quantitative variables can be further classified into two groups:

discrete and continuous.
Discrete variables can be assigned values such as 0, 1, 2, 3 and
are said to be countable. Examples of discrete variables are the
number of children in a family and the number of students in a
classroom.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Quantitative variables can be further classified into two groups:

discrete and continuous.
Discrete variables can be assigned values such as 0, 1, 2, 3 and
are said to be countable. Examples of discrete variables are the
number of children in a family and the number of students in a
classroom.
Discrete variables assume values that can be counted.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Continuous variables, by comparison, can assume an infinite

number of values in an interval between any two specific values.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Continuous variables, by comparison, can assume an infinite

number of values in an interval between any two specific values.

Temperature, for example, is a continuous variable, since the

variable can assume an infinite number of values between any two
given temperatures.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Continuous variables, by comparison, can assume an infinite

number of values in an interval between any two specific values.

Temperature, for example, is a continuous variable, since the

variable can assume an infinite number of values between any two
given temperatures.
Continuous variables can assume an infinite number of values
between any two specific values. They are obtained by measuring.
They often include fractions and decimals.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device. Usually,
answers are rounded to the nearest given unit.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device. Usually,
answers are rounded to the nearest given unit.

For example, heights might be rounded to the nearest inch.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device. Usually,
answers are rounded to the nearest given unit.

For example, heights might be rounded to the nearest inch. Hence,

a recorded height of 73 inches could mean any measure from 72.5
inches up to but not including 73.5 inches.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device. Usually,
answers are rounded to the nearest given unit.

For example, heights might be rounded to the nearest inch. Hence,

a recorded height of 73 inches could mean any measure from 72.5
inches up to but not including 73.5 inches. Thus, the boundary of
this measure is given as 72.5 - 73.5 inches.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device. Usually,
answers are rounded to the nearest given unit.

For example, heights might be rounded to the nearest inch. Hence,

a recorded height of 73 inches could mean any measure from 72.5
inches up to but not including 73.5 inches. Thus, the boundary of
this measure is given as 72.5 - 73.5 inches. Boundaries are written
for convenience as 72.5 - 73.5 but are understood to mean all
values up to but not including 73.5.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device. Usually,
answers are rounded to the nearest given unit.

For example, heights might be rounded to the nearest inch. Hence,

a recorded height of 73 inches could mean any measure from 72.5
inches up to but not including 73.5 inches. Thus, the boundary of
this measure is given as 72.5 - 73.5 inches. Boundaries are written
for convenience as 72.5 - 73.5 but are understood to mean all
values up to but not including 73.5. Actual data values of 73.5
would be rounded to 74 and would be included in a class with
boundaries of 73.5 up to but not including 74.5, written as 73.5 -
74.5.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

Since continuous data must be measured, answers must be

rounded because of the limits of the measuring device. Usually,
answers are rounded to the nearest given unit.

For example, heights might be rounded to the nearest inch. Hence,

a recorded height of 73 inches could mean any measure from 72.5
inches up to but not including 73.5 inches. Thus, the boundary of
this measure is given as 72.5 - 73.5 inches. Boundaries are written
for convenience as 72.5 - 73.5 but are understood to mean all
values up to but not including 73.5. Actual data values of 73.5
would be rounded to 74 and would be included in a class with
boundaries of 73.5 up to but not including 74.5, written as 73.5 -
74.5. The boundaries of a continuous variable are given in one
additional decimal place and always end with the digit 5.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

In addition to being classified as qualitative or quantitative,

variables can be classified by how they are categorized, counted, or
measured.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

In addition to being classified as qualitative or quantitative,

variables can be classified by how they are categorized, counted, or
measured.

For example, can the data be organized into specific categories,

such as area of residence (rural, suburban, or urban)?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

In addition to being classified as qualitative or quantitative,

variables can be classified by how they are categorized, counted, or
measured.

For example, can the data be organized into specific categories,

such as area of residence (rural, suburban, or urban)?

Can the data values be ranked, such as first place, second place,
etc.?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

In addition to being classified as qualitative or quantitative,

variables can be classified by how they are categorized, counted, or
measured.

For example, can the data be organized into specific categories,

such as area of residence (rural, suburban, or urban)?

Can the data values be ranked, such as first place, second place,
etc.?

Or are the values obtained from measurement, such as heights,

IQs, or temperature?

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

In addition to being classified as qualitative or quantitative,

variables can be classified by how they are categorized, counted, or
measured.

For example, can the data be organized into specific categories,

such as area of residence (rural, suburban, or urban)?

Can the data values be ranked, such as first place, second place,
etc.?

Or are the values obtained from measurement, such as heights,

IQs, or temperature?

This type of classification, that is, how variables are categorized,

counted, or measured-uses measurement scales,

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

In addition to being classified as qualitative or quantitative,

variables can be classified by how they are categorized, counted, or
measured.

For example, can the data be organized into specific categories,

such as area of residence (rural, suburban, or urban)?

Can the data values be ranked, such as first place, second place,
etc.?

Or are the values obtained from measurement, such as heights,

IQs, or temperature?

This type of classification, that is, how variables are categorized,

counted, or measured-uses measurement scales, and four common
types of scales are used: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The nominal level of measurement classifies data into mutually

exclusive (non-overlapping),exhausting categories in which no order
or ranking can be imposed on the data.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The nominal level of measurement classifies data into mutually

exclusive (non-overlapping),exhausting categories in which no order
or ranking can be imposed on the data.

Examples of nominal level of measurement

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The nominal level of measurement classifies data into mutually

exclusive (non-overlapping),exhausting categories in which no order
or ranking can be imposed on the data.

Examples of nominal level of measurement

1. Classifying college instructors according to subject taught.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The nominal level of measurement classifies data into mutually

exclusive (non-overlapping),exhausting categories in which no order
or ranking can be imposed on the data.

Examples of nominal level of measurement

1. Classifying college instructors according to subject taught.

2. Classifying survey subjects as male or female.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The nominal level of measurement classifies data into mutually

exclusive (non-overlapping),exhausting categories in which no order
or ranking can be imposed on the data.

Examples of nominal level of measurement

1. Classifying college instructors according to subject taught.

2. Classifying survey subjects as male or female.

3. Classifying residents according to zip codes.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The nominal level of measurement classifies data into mutually

exclusive (non-overlapping),exhausting categories in which no order
or ranking can be imposed on the data.

Examples of nominal level of measurement

1. Classifying college instructors according to subject taught.

2. Classifying survey subjects as male or female.

3. Classifying residents according to zip codes.

Other examples of nominal-level data are political party

(Democratic, Republican, Independent, etc.), religion (Christianity,
Judaism, Islam, etc.), and marital status (single, married, divorced,
widowed, separated).

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ordinal level of measurement classifies data into categories

that can be ranked; however, precise differences between the ranks
do not exist.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ordinal level of measurement classifies data into categories

that can be ranked; however, precise differences between the ranks
do not exist.

Examples of ordinal level of measurement

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ordinal level of measurement classifies data into categories

that can be ranked; however, precise differences between the ranks
do not exist.

Examples of ordinal level of measurement

1. From student evaluations, guest speakers might be ranked

as superior, average, or poor.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ordinal level of measurement classifies data into categories

that can be ranked; however, precise differences between the ranks
do not exist.

Examples of ordinal level of measurement

1. From student evaluations, guest speakers might be ranked

as superior, average, or poor.

2. Grades might be classified as A, B, C, D, F.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ordinal level of measurement classifies data into categories

that can be ranked; however, precise differences between the ranks
do not exist.

Examples of ordinal level of measurement

1. From student evaluations, guest speakers might be ranked

as superior, average, or poor.

2. Grades might be classified as A, B, C, D, F.

Note that precise measurement of differences in the ordinal level of

measurement does not exist.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ordinal level of measurement classifies data into categories

that can be ranked; however, precise differences between the ranks
do not exist.

Examples of ordinal level of measurement

1. From student evaluations, guest speakers might be ranked

as superior, average, or poor.

2. Grades might be classified as A, B, C, D, F.

Note that precise measurement of differences in the ordinal level of

measurement does not exist. For instance, when people are
classified according to their build (small, medium, or large), a large
variation exists among the individuals in each class.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement
1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement
1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

2. Temperature

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement
1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

2. Temperature

In example 1, there is a meaningful difference of 1 point between

an IQ of 109 and an IQ of 110.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement
1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

2. Temperature

In example 1, there is a meaningful difference of 1 point between

an IQ of 109 and an IQ of 110. In example 2, there is a meaningful
difference of 1◦ F between each unit, such as 72◦ F and 73◦ F.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement
1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

2. Temperature

In example 1, there is a meaningful difference of 1 point between

an IQ of 109 and an IQ of 110. In example 2, there is a meaningful
difference of 1◦ F between each unit, such as 72◦ F and 73◦ F.

One property is lacking in the interval scale: There is no true zero.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement
1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

2. Temperature

In example 1, there is a meaningful difference of 1 point between

an IQ of 109 and an IQ of 110. In example 2, there is a meaningful
difference of 1◦ F between each unit, such as 72◦ F and 73◦ F.

One property is lacking in the interval scale: There is no true zero.

For example, IQ tests do not measure people who have no
intelligence.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The interval level of measurement ranks data, and precise

differences between units of measure do exist; however, there is no
meaningful zero.
Examples of interval level of measurement
1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

2. Temperature

In example 1, there is a meaningful difference of 1 point between

an IQ of 109 and an IQ of 110. In example 2, there is a meaningful
difference of 1◦ F between each unit, such as 72◦ F and 73◦ F.

One property is lacking in the interval scale: There is no true zero.

For example, IQ tests do not measure people who have no
intelligence. For temperature, 0◦ F does not mean no heat at all.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero. In addition,
true ratios exist when the same variable is measured on two
different members of the population.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero. In addition,
true ratios exist when the same variable is measured on two
different members of the population.

Ratio scales are those used to measure height, weight, area, etc.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero. In addition,
true ratios exist when the same variable is measured on two
different members of the population.

Ratio scales are those used to measure height, weight, area, etc.

Ratio scales have differences between units (1 inch, 1 pound, etc.)

and a true zero.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero. In addition,
true ratios exist when the same variable is measured on two
different members of the population.

Ratio scales are those used to measure height, weight, area, etc.

Ratio scales have differences between units (1 inch, 1 pound, etc.)

and a true zero. In addition, the ratio scale contains a true ratio
between values.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero. In addition,
true ratios exist when the same variable is measured on two
different members of the population.

Ratio scales are those used to measure height, weight, area, etc.

Ratio scales have differences between units (1 inch, 1 pound, etc.)

and a true zero. In addition, the ratio scale contains a true ratio
between values. For example, if one person can lift 200 pounds and
another can lift 100 pounds, then the ratio between them is 2 to 1.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero. In addition,
true ratios exist when the same variable is measured on two
different members of the population.

Ratio scales are those used to measure height, weight, area, etc.

Ratio scales have differences between units (1 inch, 1 pound, etc.)

and a true zero. In addition, the ratio scale contains a true ratio
between values. For example, if one person can lift 200 pounds and
another can lift 100 pounds, then the ratio between them is 2 to 1.

There is no complete agreement among statisticians about the

classification of data into one of the four categories.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Variables and Types of Data

The ratio level of measurement possesses all the characteristics

of interval measurement, and there exists a true zero. In addition,
true ratios exist when the same variable is measured on two
different members of the population.

Ratio scales are those used to measure height, weight, area, etc.

Ratio scales have differences between units (1 inch, 1 pound, etc.)

and a true zero. In addition, the ratio scale contains a true ratio
between values. For example, if one person can lift 200 pounds and
another can lift 100 pounds, then the ratio between them is 2 to 1.

There is no complete agreement among statisticians about the

classification of data into one of the four categories. For example,
some researchers classify IQ data as ratio data rather than interval.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

Safe Travel

Read the following information about the transportation industry.

Transportation Safety
The chart shows the number of job-related injuries for each of the
transportation industries for 1998.

Industry Number of injuries

Railroad 4520
Intercity bus 5100
Subway 6850
Trucking 7144
Airline 9950

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

Answer the following questions.

1. What are the variables under study?

2. Categorize each variable as quantitative or qualitative.
3. Categorize each quantitative variable as discrete or continuous.
4. Identify the level of measurement for each variable.
5. The railroad is shown as the safest transportation industry.
Does that mean railroads have fewer accidents than the other
industries? Explain.
6. What factors other than safety influence a person’s choice of
transportation?
7. From the information given, comment on the relationship
between the variables.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

1. The variables are industry and number of job-related injuries.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

1. The variables are industry and number of job-related injuries.

2. The type of industry is a qualitative variable, while the number

of job-related injuries is quantitative.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

1. The variables are industry and number of job-related injuries.

2. The type of industry is a qualitative variable, while the number

of job-related injuries is quantitative.

3. The number of job-related injuries is discrete.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

1. The variables are industry and number of job-related injuries.

2. The type of industry is a qualitative variable, while the number

of job-related injuries is quantitative.

3. The number of job-related injuries is discrete.

4. Type of industry is nominal, and the number of job-related

injuries is ratio.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

1. The variables are industry and number of job-related injuries.

2. The type of industry is a qualitative variable, while the number

of job-related injuries is quantitative.

3. The number of job-related injuries is discrete.

4. Type of industry is nominal, and the number of job-related

injuries is ratio.

5. The railroads do show fewer job-related injuries; however, there

may be other things to consider. For example, railroads employ
fewer people than the other transportation industries in the study.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Group Work: Application of Concepts

1. The variables are industry and number of job-related injuries.

2. The type of industry is a qualitative variable, while the number

of job-related injuries is quantitative.

3. The number of job-related injuries is discrete.

4. Type of industry is nominal, and the number of job-related

injuries is ratio.

5. The railroads do show fewer job-related injuries; however, there

may be other things to consider. For example, railroads employ
fewer people than the other transportation industries in the study.

6. A person’s choice of transportation might also be affected by

convenience issues, cost, service, etc.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Application of Concepts

7. Answers will vary. One possible answer is that the railroads have
the fewest job-related injuries, while the airline industry has the
most job-related injuries (more than twice those of the railroad
industry). The numbers of job-related injuries in the subway and
trucking industries are fairly comparable.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Data can be collected in a variety of ways.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Data can be collected in a variety of ways. One of the most

common methods is through the use of surveys.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Data can be collected in a variety of ways. One of the most

common methods is through the use of surveys.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Data can be collected in a variety of ways. One of the most

common methods is through the use of surveys.

- telephone survey

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Data can be collected in a variety of ways. One of the most

common methods is through the use of surveys.

- telephone survey
- mailed questionnaire

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Data can be collected in a variety of ways. One of the most

common methods is through the use of surveys.

- telephone survey
- mailed questionnaire
- personal interview.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Data is used in many different ways.

- it can be used to describe situations or events

- it can be used to make better decisions on courses of action

Data can be collected in a variety of ways. One of the most

common methods is through the use of surveys.

- telephone survey
- mailed questionnaire
- personal interview.

Data can also be collected in other ways, such as surveying

records or direct observation of situations.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Researchers use samples to collect data and information about a

particular variable from a large population.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Researchers use samples to collect data and information about a

particular variable from a large population.

Using samples saves time and money and in some cases enables
the researcher to get more detailed information about a particular
subject.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Researchers use samples to collect data and information about a

particular variable from a large population.

Using samples saves time and money and in some cases enables
the researcher to get more detailed information about a particular
subject.

Samples cannot be selected in haphazard ways because the

information obtained might be biased.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Researchers use samples to collect data and information about a

particular variable from a large population.

Using samples saves time and money and in some cases enables
the researcher to get more detailed information about a particular
subject.

Samples cannot be selected in haphazard ways because the

information obtained might be biased. To obtain samples that are
unbiased,

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Researchers use samples to collect data and information about a

particular variable from a large population.

Using samples saves time and money and in some cases enables
the researcher to get more detailed information about a particular
subject.

Samples cannot be selected in haphazard ways because the

information obtained might be biased. To obtain samples that are
unbiased, that is, that give each subject in the population an
equally likely chance of being selected,

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

Researchers use samples to collect data and information about a

particular variable from a large population.

Using samples saves time and money and in some cases enables
the researcher to get more detailed information about a particular
subject.

Samples cannot be selected in haphazard ways because the

information obtained might be biased. To obtain samples that are
unbiased, that is, that give each subject in the population an
equally likely chance of being selected, statisticians use four basic
methods of sampling: random, systematic, stratified, and
cluster sampling.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Random samples are selected by using chance methods or

random numbers.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Random samples are selected by using chance methods or

random numbers.

One such method is to number each subject in the population.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Random samples are selected by using chance methods or

random numbers.

One such method is to number each subject in the population.

Then place numbered cards in a bowl, mix them thoroughly, and
select as many cards as needed.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Random samples are selected by using chance methods or

random numbers.

One such method is to number each subject in the population.

Then place numbered cards in a bowl, mix them thoroughly, and
select as many cards as needed. The subjects whose numbers are
selected constitute the sample.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Random samples are selected by using chance methods or

random numbers.

One such method is to number each subject in the population.

Then place numbered cards in a bowl, mix them thoroughly, and
select as many cards as needed. The subjects whose numbers are
selected constitute the sample.

Another method is the use of random numbers with a computer

or a calculator.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Random samples are selected by using chance methods or

random numbers.

One such method is to number each subject in the population.

Then place numbered cards in a bowl, mix them thoroughly, and
select as many cards as needed. The subjects whose numbers are
selected constitute the sample.

Another method is the use of random numbers with a computer

or a calculator.

Before the invention of computers, random numbers were obtained

from tables.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Researchers obtain systematic samples by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth subject.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Researchers obtain systematic samples by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth subject.

Numbering is not always necessary. For example, a researcher may

select every tenth item from an assembly line to test for defects.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Researchers obtain systematic samples by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth subject.

Numbering is not always necessary. For example, a researcher may

select every tenth item from an assembly line to test for defects.

Researchers obtain stratified samples by dividing the population

into groups (called strata) according to some characteristic that is
important to the study, then sampling from each group.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Researchers obtain systematic samples by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth subject.

Numbering is not always necessary. For example, a researcher may

select every tenth item from an assembly line to test for defects.

Researchers obtain stratified samples by dividing the population

into groups (called strata) according to some characteristic that is
important to the study, then sampling from each group. Samples
within the strata should be randomly selected.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Researchers obtain systematic samples by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth subject.

Numbering is not always necessary. For example, a researcher may

select every tenth item from an assembly line to test for defects.

Researchers obtain stratified samples by dividing the population

into groups (called strata) according to some characteristic that is
important to the study, then sampling from each group. Samples
within the strata should be randomly selected.

Researchers also use cluster samples.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Researchers obtain systematic samples by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth subject.

Numbering is not always necessary. For example, a researcher may

select every tenth item from an assembly line to test for defects.

Researchers obtain stratified samples by dividing the population

into groups (called strata) according to some characteristic that is
important to the study, then sampling from each group. Samples
within the strata should be randomly selected.

Researchers also use cluster samples. Here the population is

divided into groups called clusters by some means such as
geographic area or schools in a large school district, etc.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Sampling Techniques

Researchers obtain systematic samples by numbering each

subject of the population and then selecting every kth subject.

Numbering is not always necessary. For example, a researcher may

select every tenth item from an assembly line to test for defects.

Researchers obtain stratified samples by dividing the population

into groups (called strata) according to some characteristic that is
important to the study, then sampling from each group. Samples
within the strata should be randomly selected.

Researchers also use cluster samples. Here the population is

divided into groups called clusters by some means such as
geographic area or schools in a large school district, etc. Then the
researcher randomly selects some of these clusters and uses all
members of the selected clusters as the subjects of the samples.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Other Sampling Techniques

Convenience sampling.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Other Sampling Techniques

Convenience sampling. In a convenience sampling, a researcher

uses subjects that are convenient.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

Other Sampling Techniques

Convenience sampling. In a convenience sampling, a researcher

uses subjects that are convenient.

Other sampling techniques are sequential sampling, double

sampling, and multistage sampling.

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob

A.G. Bluman, Elementary Statistics: A Step by Step Approach, 7th
Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2009

Lecture Notes Basic Statistics Chapter 1: The Nature of Prob