• Topic 1: Meaning of Statistics; Population and

Sample; Variable and

Data; and Scale of
Measurement (give
example)
Sstatistics is defined as “classified facts representing the conditions of a people in a
state – especially the facts that can be stated in numbers or any other tabular or
classified arrangement”. Merriam-Webster dictionary,
Statistics is defined as “Numerical statements of facts in any department of inquiry
placed in relation to each other”. Sir Arthur Lyon Bowley,

Population is a set of similar items or events which is of interest for some question or
experiment. A statistical population can be a group of existing objects or a hypothetical
and potentially infinite group of objects conceived as a generalization from experience.
In other cases, the examined 'population' may be even less tangible. For
example, Joseph Jagger studied the behaviour of roulette wheels at a casino in Monte
Carlo, and used this to identify a biased wheel. In this case, the 'population' Jagger
wanted to investigate was the overall behaviour of the wheel (i.e. the probability
distribution of its results over infinitely many trials), while his 'sample' was formed from
observed results from that wheel. Similar considerations arise when taking repeated
measurements of some physical characteristic such as the electrical
conductivity of copper.

This situation often arises when seeking knowledge about the cause system of which
the observed population is an outcome. In such cases, sampling theory may treat the
observed population as a sample from a larger 'superpopulation'. For example, a
researcher might study the success rate of a new 'quit smoking' program on a test
group of 100 patients, in order to predict the effects of the program if it were made
available nationwide. Here the superpopulation is "everybody in the country, given
access to this treatment" – a group that does not yet exist since the program is not yet
available to all.

A sample refers to a smaller, manageable version of a larger group. It is a subset

containing the characteristics of a larger population. Samples are used in statistical
testing when population sizes are too large for the test to include all possible members
or observations. Wikipedia

A variable is any characteristic, number, or quantity that can be measured or counted. A

variable may also be called a data item. Age, sex, business income and expenses,
country of birth, capital expenditure, class grades, eye colour and vehicle type are
examples of variables. Wikipedia
Mainly used for these four scales are:

 Nominal: Used to categorize data into mutually exclusive categories or groups.

 Ordinal: Used to measure variables in a natural order, such as rating or ranking.
They provide meaningful insights into attitudes, preferences, and behaviors by
understanding the order of responses.
 Interval: Used to measure variables with equal intervals between values.
Temperature and time often make use of this type of measurement, enabling
precise comparisons and calculations.
 Ratio: Allows for comparisons and computations such as ratios, percentages,
and averages. Great for research in fields like science, engineering, and
finance, where you need to use ratios, percentages, and averages to
understand the data.
 For example, it is practically impossible to calculate the average hourly rate of
a worker in the US. So, a sample audience is randomly selected to represent
the larger population appropriately.

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/nominal-ordinal-interval-ratio/

• Topic 2: Sampling Technique

In Statistics, the sampling method or sampling technique is the process of
studying the population by gathering information and analyzing that data. It is
the basis of the data where the sample space is enormous. There are several
different sampling techniques available, and they can be subdivided into two
groups.
In statistics, quality assurance, and survey methodology, sampling is the selection of a
subset or a statistical sample (termed sample for short) of individuals from within
a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population. Statisticians
attempt to collect samples that are representative of the population. Sampling has lower
costs and faster data collection compared to recording data from the entire population,
and thus, it can provide insights in cases where it is infeasible to measure an entire
population.