ETC1000

BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC

STATISTICS
5. Descriptive Analytics

Numerical Data, Distributions

DATA TYPES
Data

Numerical

Discrete
(count)

Continuous
(measure)

Categorical

Qualitative

DESCRIBING NUMERICAL DATA

The raw data might look as follows:

DESCRIBING NUMERICAL DATA IN

TABLES

Sometimes we summarise the features of data by

putting it in categories and constructing a
frequency distribution.

Usually better stated in % terms.

DESCRIBING NUMERICAL DATA IN

TABLES

Cumulative distribution table

can be constructed from the frequency table

eg 81% of people make 3 or less doctors visits pa

DESCRIBING NUMERICAL DATA HISTOGRAMS

Number of Doctor's Visits pa
600
500
400
Frequency

300
200
100
0

1-3

4-6

7-9

10-12

>12

Histograms tell us a lot about the shape of

distribution of data.

DESCRIBING NUMERICAL DATA

HISTOGRAMS & SHAPE OF
DISTRIBUTIONS

Positively Skewed

70
60

Frequency

50
40
30
20
10
0
0-10

Symmetric
(almost)

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

More

70
60
50

F req u en cy

11-20

40
30
20
10
0
0-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

More

70
60

F req u en cy

50

Negatively skewed

40
30
20
10
0
0-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

More