Basic Concepts in Statistics

Statistics – It is a collection of methods for planning experiments, obtaining data, and analyzing,
interpreting and drawing conclusions based on the data.

Data – are values that the variables can assume.

Variables – are characteristics that is observable or measurable in every unit of universe.

Population – is the set of all possible values of a variable.

Sample – a subgroup of the population.

Classification of Variables

Qualitative Variables – words or codes that represent a class or a category. It express a categorical
attribute like gender, religion, marital status, and highest educational attainment.

Quantitative Variables – number that represent an amount or a count. These variables answer the
question “How many” or “How much”. Examples of quantitative variables are height, weight,
household size, or number of correct answers.

Quantitative variables can be further classified as ;

Discrete Variables – are data that can be counted such as number of days, number of siblings, or
daily school allowance.

Continuous Variables – it can assume all values between any two specific values like 0.5, 1.2 and
data that can be measured. Examples are body temperature, weight, or height.

Levels of Measurement

Nominal Level – This is characterized by data that consists of names, labels, or categories only.
Examples are gender, most preferred color, usual sleeping time or civil status.

Ordinal Level – This involves data that are arranged in some order. Examples are happiness index
during a day, highest educational attainment, ranking of basketball teams in a certain tournament,
or academic excellence award.

Interval Level – The same with ordinal level but with an additional property that we can determine
meaningful amounts of differences between the data.

Ratio Level – This is interval level modified to include the inherent zero starting point. It possesses a
meaningful absolute, zero point and allows all arithmetic operations. Examples of this are number of
siblings, weight, or height.

Basic Methods of Sampling

Random Sampling – done by using chance or random numbers.

Systematic Sampling – done by numbering each subject of the population and then selecting nth
number.

Stratified Sampling – If a population has a distinct groups, it is possible to divide the

population into groups and to draw samples from each groups.

Cluster Sampling – This method uses intact groups called clusters.