What is Statistics?

Statistics is a very broad subject and it used a lot of fields. We use statistics to collect information,
analyze them and draw conclusions from them. Everything, which deals with collecting data, analyzing
them and getting a result from them is statistics. Statistics consist of a lot of methods for collecting
and analyzing data.
We saw that statistics is more than table of numbers and graphical presentation of them. Statistics is a
science that gets information from numerical and categorical data. We can use statistical methods to find
answers of these questions.

1) What kind of and how much data must be collected?

2) How can we organize and generalize information?
3) How can we analyze data and draw conclusions from it?
4) How can we evaluate the strength of conclusions?

There are methods for statistics.

1) Design. Planning researches.

2) Description. Analyzing and generalization of data.
3) Inference. Generalizing all data.

Statistics, also is a science that deals with uncertain events. Nowadays statistics is used in every field of
science. For example, at economics: What will be the unemployment rate next year? Technical problem:
How we can improve quality of product?

Population and Sample

Population and Sample are two basic concepts of statistics. Population is a set of individual persons
and objects. Sample is a specific group that you will collect data from. Population is not only people. It
can be a group of anything you want to study, such as objects, events, countries, species and etc. That
gives us definitions of sample and population.
Population is the collection of all individuals or items. Sample is a part of the population that
collects information.
Everytime, few features of individuals and objects are explored at the same time. There are different
populations. For example (Finite population): 1) The students of university. 2) The books in a library.
For example (Hypothetical population): Consider, there is a factory. And it produces a lot of lamps. If this
factory will use the same raw materials and methods to producing lamps, the lamps which are producing
in this factory will be hypothetical population. The sample of lamps which are producing now can help to
get conclusion about the quality of lamps which will be produced in the future.

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

There are 2 major types of statistics. The statistics, which generalize and describe data, that called
Descriptive statistics. The statistics, which use sample data to make an inference, that called
Inferential statistics. Making of diagrams, graphics and tables and measures such as average,
variation, percent are included in Descriptive statistics. And İnferential statistics includes methods
such as point estimation, interval estimation and hypothesis testing. They all belong to Probability theory.
For example: We throw dice 100 times. Everytime we get different results. We use Descriptive statistics
to group these sample data. And we use Inferential statistics to verify is the dice fair or not.
Inferential and Descriptive statistics are related with each other.

Parameters and Statistics

Usually the features of population can generalized by numerical parameters. These population
parameters are unknown and we use sample statistics to make inference about them.
Parameter is an unknown numerical summary of the population. Statistic is a numerical summary
of the sample which can be used to make inference about parameters.
For example: Calculate the percentage, how much people are going to cinema who are 18-30 years.
Parameters: The proportion p of 18-30 year olds going to cinema at least once a month.
Statistic: The proportion p of 18-30 year olds going to cinema at least once a month calculated from the
sample of 18-30 year olds.

Statistical data analysis

The goal of statistics is to gain understanding from data. Any data must contain these steps.
1) Formulate the research problem
2) Define population and sample
3) Collect the data
4) Do descriptive data analysis
5) Use statistical methods to solve research problems
6) Report the results

Variable

A characteristic which varies from one person or thing to another person or thing is variable. We can
show variables for humans such as weight, eye color, number of brothers and etc. Weight, number of
brothers are quantitative variables and eye color is qualitative variable. Quantitative variables can divided
2 parts. Discrete and continuous.
Discrete variables can be some variables such as numbers of children in families, number of car
accidents or number of students who are taking to statistical course.
Continuous variables can be length, weight or temperature.

Scales

Scales for qualitative. If categories of qualitative variable are unordered, then we can say that they are
nominal scales. If categories of qualitative variable are ordered, they are ordinal scales.
Scales for quantitative. Quantitative variables, discrete or continuous, they can defined as interval scale
or ratio scale. If we can compare differences between measurements of variable, but not ratio of the
measurements, quantitative variable can be defined as interval scale. If we can compare differences
between measurements of variable and ratio of the measurements, quantitative variable can be defined
as ratio scale.