EARTHSC 3MB3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Level Of Measurement, Rational Number, Categorical Variable
15 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
The fundamental starting point in statistics, reduced from the complex. A complete group of things with one or more common properties. A number that describes a property of a population, a single number. A set of data selected from a population using some specified rules. A value that describes a property of a sample of a population. Used to estimate parameters, get it from samples of a population. If our sample is large enough, then statistics measured from a sample are a good approximation of population parameters. Some short form parameters: total population, average age, % female, near complete (population) Long form statistics: % employed, % drive car to work, based on an approximate 20% sample. Distinguishing between a sample and population often depends on the question you"re asking. The measure we use to describe the properties of samples and population. Data that describe properties that are usually not thought of as numerical.
