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Introduction to Descriptive
Statistics
PREPARED BY MARIAH MZUMALAH
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What is Statistics?
Definition: Statistics is the science of collecting, analyzing, interpreting, presenting, and organizing data.
Types:
Descriptive statistics
inferential statistics
statistics help us make sense of large amounts of data.
Highlight the distinction between descriptive (summarizing data) and inferential (making predictions) statistics.
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CONT
Descriptive statistics is the branch of statistics
which uses numbers, tables, charts and graphs
to, numerically and graphically, organise,
summarise and present raw data.
Why Use Descriptive Statistics?
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Purpose: To provide a summary or description of
data without making inferences.
Applications: Used in various fields such as
business, education, health sciences, and social
sciences.
Types of Descriptive Statistics
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Measures of Central Tendency
Mean
Median
Mode
Measures of Dispersion
Range
Variance
Standard Deviation
Frequency Distributions
Graphs and Charts
Histograms
Pie Charts
Box Plots
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Measures of Central Tendency
Mean: The average of all data points.
Median: The middle value when data is ordered.
Mode: The most frequently occurring value.
Measures of Dispersion
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Range: Difference between the highest and lowest
values.
Variance: Average of the squared differences from
the mean.
Standard Deviation: Square root of the variance;
indicates how spread out the values are.
Frequency Distributions
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Definition: A table or graph showing the number of
occurrences of each value.
Purpose: To understand the distribution of data
points.
Visual Representations
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Histograms: Show frequency distribution using bars.
Pie Charts: Illustrate proportions of categories.
Box Plots: Display median, quartiles, and potential
outliers.
Conclusion
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Summary: Descriptive statistics are essential for
summarizing and understanding data.
Importance in Research: Forms the foundation for
more complex analyses.
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Questions?
.
EXAMPLE
Here’s an example of a simple dataset presented in a
table format, along with explanations of how to
calculate the mean, mode, and frequency.
Student ID Test Score
1 78
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2 85
3 78
4 90
5 85
6 92
7 78
8 85
9 95
10 90
Calculations
1. Mean
Formula: Mean = (Sum of all values) / (Number of
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values)
Calculation:
Sum = 78 + 85 + 78 + 90 + 85 + 92 + 78 + 85 + 95
+ 90 = 888
Number of values = 10
Mean = 888 / 10 = 88.8
2. Mode
The mode is the value that appears most frequently in
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the dataset.
In this dataset:
78 appears 3 times
85 appears 3 times
90 appears 2 times
92 appears 1 time
95 appears 1 time
Modes: 78 and 85 (bimodal)
Test Score Frequency
78 3
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85 3
90 2
92 1
95 1
Explanation of the Table
Test Score: This column lists the unique scores
achieved by students.
Frequency: This column shows how many students
achieved each score.
Summary
Mean: 88.8 (average score)
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Mode: 78 and 85 (most common scores)
Frequency Distribution: Provides a clear view of
how many students scored each value.
To calculate the range from the provided dataset, you
follow these steps:
Step 1: Identify the Maximum and Minimum Values
From the dataset:
Student ID Test Score
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1 78
2 85
3 78
4 90
5 85
6 92
7 78
8 85
9 95
10 90
•Maximum Value: 95
•Minimum Value: 78
Step 2: Apply the Range Formula
Range = Maximum Value - Minimum Value
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Step 3: Calculate the Range
Calculation:
Range = 95 - 78 = 17
Summary
The range of the test scores is 17. This value
indicates the spread of the test scores, showing the
difference between the highest and lowest scores
achieved by the students.
MEASURE OF DISPERSION
What is Dispersion?
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Definition: Dispersion refers to the spread or
variability of a dataset.
Importance: It helps us understand how much the
data values differ from each other and from the
mean.
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Key Measures of Dispersion
Range
Variance
Standard Deviation
Example Dataset
Student ID Test Score
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1 78
2 85
3 78
4 90
5 85
6 92
7 78
8 85
9 95
10 90
Calculating the Range
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Formula: Range = Maximum Value - Minimum Value
Values:
Maximum Value = 95
Minimum Value = 78
Calculation:
Range = 95 - 78 = 17
Calculating Variance
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Definition: Variance measures the average of the
squared differences from the mean.
Formula:
Variance (σ²) = Σ (xi - μ)² / N
Where:
xi = each data point
μ = mean
N = number of data points
Variance Calculation Steps
[Link] the Mean (μ):
•Mean = 88.8 (from previous
example)
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[Link] Each Squared
Difference:
Test Score (xi - μ) (xi - μ)²
78 -10.8 116.64
85 -3.8 14.44
78 -10.8 116.64
90 1.2 1.44
85 -3.8 14.44
92 3.2 10.24
78 -10.8 116.64
85 -3.8 14.44
95 6.2 38.44
90 1.2 1.44
Sum of Squared Differences:
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Total = 116.64 + 14.44 + 116.64 + 1.44 + 14.44 +
10.24 + 116.64 + 14.44 + 38.44 + 1.44 = 444.6
Variance Calculation:
Variance (σ²) = 444.6 / 10 = 44.46
Calculating Standard Deviation
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Definition: Standard deviation is the square root of
the variance.
Formula:
Standard Deviation (σ) = √Variance
Calculation:
Standard Deviation = √44.46 ≈ 6.67
Summary of Measures of Dispersion
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Range: 17
Variance: 44.46
Standard Deviation: 6.67
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Questions?
