Elements of Statistics and Probability
Lecture 1 & 2
Md. Niamul Islam
Lecturer, BRAC University
2 June, 2024
Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
1 Statistics
2 Basic Statistical Terms
3 Variable
4 Data
5 Scales of Measurements
6 Exercise
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
1 Statistics
2 Basic Statistical Terms
3 Variable
4 Data
5 Scales of Measurements
6 Exercise
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
What is Statistics?
• According to Fisher (1947), the science of statistics is
essentially a branch of applied mathematics and may be
regarded as mathematics, applied to observational data.
• Croston and Cowden (1948) defined statistics as the subject
of collection, presentation and analysis of numerical data.
• As Yule and Kendal (1950) opined, Statistics means
quantitative data, which are affected to a marked extent by
multiplicity of causes.
• American Heritage Dictionary defines statistics as: The
mathematics of the collection, organization, and interpretation
of numerical data especially the analysis of population
characteristics by inference from sampling.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
What is Statistics?
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
History of Statistics
• The subject Statistics is as old as the human society. It has
been used right from the existence of life on this earth,
although the sphere of its utility was very much restricted.
• The word Statistics seems to have been derived from
1 the Latin word ‘status’or
2 the Italian word ‘statista’or
3 the French word ‘statistique’
• Each of which means a political state.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Scope and Applications of Statistics
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Scope and Applications of Statistics
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Scope and Applications of Statistics
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Scope and Applications of Statistics
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
1 Statistics
2 Basic Statistical Terms
3 Variable
4 Data
5 Scales of Measurements
6 Exercise
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Population
• Population is the collection of all individuals or items under
consideration in a statistical study.
• A population consists of all the items or individual about
which researcher want to draw a conclusion.
• N denotes the size of population.
• If we want to study the average weight of the students at
BRAC University, who constitutes the population?
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Sample
• A small and representative (desirably) part of population is
known as sample.
• n denotes the size of population.
• Can you think of a sample if we want to know the average
height of your class?
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Parameters and Statistics
Definitions
• Parameter: A numerical
measure that describes a
characteristic of a
population.
• Statistic: A numerical
measure that describes a
characteristic of a sample.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Types of Statistics
• Descriptive statistics is the branch of statistics that involves
organizing, summarizing, displaying, and describing data.
• Inferential statistics is the branch of statistics that involves
drawing conclusions about a population based on information
contained in a sample taken from that population and
measuring the reliability of the conclusions.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
1 Statistics
2 Basic Statistical Terms
3 Variable
4 Data
5 Scales of Measurements
6 Exercise
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Definition
• A characteristic that varies from person to person, place to
place or time to time is called a variable.
• Thus, a measurable characteristic, which can vary from
element to element within its domain is called a variable.
• Usually we denote the variables by capital letters and their
values by small letters.
• Example: Height, weight, age, SSC and HSC marks, family
size, sex, etc. are some variables of 4th semester CSE students
of BRAC University.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Types of Variable: Qualitative
• A qualitative variable is one for which numerical measurement
is not possible.
• In other words, when the characteristic being studied is
nonnumeric, it is called a qualitative variable or an attribute.
Example
• For example: Hair color (brown, black, white etc.), religion
(Muslim, Hindu, etc.), sex (male, female), home district
(Dhaka, Rajshahi, Bogra etc.), occupational status (employed,
unemployed, self-employed, others) etc.
• An individual is simply assigned to any one of the several
mutually exclusive categories on the basis of observation on
the characteristic.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Types of Variable: Qualitative
• The qualitative observations can neither meaningfully be
ordered nor physically measured; these can only be classified
and then enumerated.
• In dealing with qualitative data, researchers are usually
interested in how many or what proportion fall in each
category.
Examples
• What percentage of students of BRAC University are from an
English medium background?
• What proportion of people opted in favor of the construction
of the new airport?
• How many Muslims and how many Hindus are there in
Bangladesh?
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Types of Variable : Quantitative
• A quantitative variable is one for which the resulting
observations have numeric value and thus possesses a natural
ordering.
• Quantitative Variables are measured on a numeric or
quantitative scale.
Example
• Example: districts population size, customers shoe size,
vehicles speed on a highway, amount of daily sell of a shop,
parents income etc. are all quantitative variables
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Types of Variable : Quantitative
• A Quantitative (numeric) variable is further subdivided as
discrete and continuous variables.
Types of Quantitative variable: Discrete variable
• Discrete variable: When a variable can assume only isolated
values within a given range is called discrete variable.
Types of Quantitative variable: Continuous variable
• Continuous variable: A quantitative variable whose possible
values form some interval of numbers is called a continuous
variable.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Types of Quantitative variable
• Number of children in a family, number of road accident in a
year etc.
• Height of a person, weight of a person etc.
• Can you distinguish which variable is discrete and which one is
continuous?
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Exercise
• Classify each variable as qualitative or quantitative:
1 Time it takes to run a marathon
2 Weights of lobsters in a tank in a restaurant
3 Colors of automobiles in a shopping center parking lot
• Classify each variable as discrete or continuous:
1 Lifetimes (in hours) of 15 iPod batterie
2 Number of students each day who make appointments with a
mathematics tutor at a local college
3 Blood pressures of runners in a marathon
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Difference of Discrete and Continuous variable
Basis for Discrete Variable Continuous Variable
Comparison
Meaning Discrete variable refers to Continuous variable
the variable that assumes alludes to a variable
a finite number of which assumes an infinite
isolated values. number of different
values.
Range of Complete Incomplete
specified
number
Values Values are obtained by Values are obtained by
counting. measuring.
Assumes Distinct or separate Any value between the
values. two values.
Represented Isolated points Connected points
by
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
1 Statistics
2 Basic Statistical Terms
3 Variable
4 Data
5 Scales of Measurements
6 Exercise
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
What is "Data"?
• Data: Numerical facts gathered from a statistical
investigation are called a data.
• In statistical analysis the first work is to collect data, the raw
materials of statistics, after identifying a specific problem and
field of enquiry.
• Data is in fact the plural form of datum. Single information of
a phenomenon on any subject of interest is called a datum.
So data is called the collection of datum.
• Example: If we are interested in the height of the students of
4th semester in BBA of BU, then a single value (that is the
height of a student) is called a datum, and the set of all
values of height will be data.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Types of data
• Based on the "Sources", data can be of two types.
• Primary data: A data is said to be primary data if it is
obtained from an investigation conducted for the first time.
Thus, the data collected for the first time by the investigator
as original data are known as primary data.
• Example: National census data collected by the government
• Secondary data: When a statistical analysis is conducted on a
data set available from a prior investigation is called a
secondary data.
• Example: National income data collected by the government
are primary data but they become secondary data for those
who use them.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
1 Statistics
2 Basic Statistical Terms
3 Variable
4 Data
5 Scales of Measurements
6 Exercise
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Definition
Measurement
• Measurement is a process of assigning numbers to some
characteristics or variables or events according to scientific
rules.
Measurement Scale
• Variables in a study may be of different nature and they may
represent some attributes, characteristics or key factors of
interest. These variables can be measured under four levels or
scales of measurement:
Qualitative Quantitative
1. Nominal 3. Interval
2. Ordinal 4. Ratio
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Nominal Scale
• The measurement scale, in which numbers are assigned to the
categories or variable values for identification only, is called a
nominal scale.
• Each value is a category and the values itself serves merely as
a label on name for the category. No assumption of ordering
or distance between categories is made.
• Example: Sex, place of residence, blood group etc.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Ordinal Scale
• The measurement scale, in which numbers are assigned to the
categories or variable values for identification as well as
ranking, is called an ordinal scale.
• In this scale, the numeric codes are used to identify the
different categories of a variable in such a way that these
numbers or values can be arranged in ascending or descending
order.
• Example: Socio-economic status, educational level.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Interval Scale
• The measurement scale, in which numbers are assigned to the
variable values in such a way that the level of measurement is
broken down on a scale of equal units and the zero value on
the scale is not absolutely zero (but a pre-set value) is called
an interval scale.
• Example: The variable temperature can have values 0◦ C,
10◦ C, 20C etc. Here the value 0◦ C does not mean the
absence of temperature. Thus, the value zero in interval scale
is not absolutely zero.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Ratio Scale
• The measurement scale, in which numbers are assigned to the
variable values in such a way that the level of measurement is
broken down on a scale of equal units and the zero value on
the scale is absolutely zero is called a ratio scale.
• In other words, we can say that when zero means absence of
the characteristics then the appropriate scale to use is the
ratio scale.
• Example: Age, weight, pulse rate etc.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Comparisons of the Measurement Scales
Levels Arithmetic Features Examples
Nominal Counting Categories Religion
Ordinal Counting Categories Economic stratus
Ranking Rank
Interval Counting Categories IQ score
Ranking Rank
Addition Has equal units
Subtraction
Ratio Counting Categories Family size
Ranking Rank
Addition Has equal units
Subtraction Has absolute zero
Multiplication
Division
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
1 Statistics
2 Basic Statistical Terms
3 Variable
4 Data
5 Scales of Measurements
6 Exercise
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Exercise
• What is the level of measurement for each of the following
variables?
1 Student IQ ratings.
2 The jersey numbers of a sorority soccer team.
3 Number of hours students study per week.
• Slate is a daily magazine on the Web. Its business activities
can be described by a number of variables. What is the level
of measurement for each of the following variables?
a The number of hits on their website on Saturday between 8:00
am and 9:00 am.
b The departments, such as food and drink, politics, foreign
policy, sports, etc.
c The number of weekly hits on the Sams Club ad.
d The number of years each employee has been employed with
Slate.
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
Exercise
• Suppose a statistician wants to analyze the data of a
particular telecom company. For this purpose, he collected
data from the server of this company. He collected data on
Gender, hours internet browsing per day, number of SMS sent
per day, hours spent on incoming or outgoing call, brand of
mobile phone (iPhone, One plus, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei,
Oppo etc.), User Status (Platinum, Gold and Silver), age of
the customer and duration of using that particular brand (e.g.
2 years, 1.5 years or 3.11 years) etc. Now find the following
things:
a Sample and Population
b Identify qualitative and quantitative variables
c Identify the scale of measurement for each variable (nominal,
ordinal, interval or ratio)
d Identify discrete or continuous variables in case of continuous
variables
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Statistics Basic Statistical Terms Variable Data Scales of Measurements Exercise
References and Acknowledgement
• Reference Books:
1 Statistical Techniques in Business Economics by LIND
MARCHAL WATHEN.
2 Introductory STATISTICS by Neil A. Weiss, Ph.D.
3 INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS by PREM S. MANN
• Acknowledgement:
1 Syed S. Hossain, Professor, Department of Applied Statistics
and Data Science, University of Dhaka.
2 Iftekhar M S Kalam, Assistant Professor, MNS, Brac
University, Bangladesh.
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Thanks!