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Basic Statistics: Data Analysis Guide

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6 views2 pages

Basic Statistics: Data Analysis Guide

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alhammadheba77
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Basicstatistics

ISE291

Table of Contents
1 Data and Variables
1.1 Learning Outcomes
1.2 Tabular Data
1.3 Field Types
2 Field Segregation
2.0.1 Example: Variables/Fields
3 Frequency Distribution
3.1 Histogram
3.1.1 Histograms of Non-numerical Data
3.1.2 Histograms of Numerical Data
3.2 Pie-Charts
3.2.1 Example: Hands on Histogram and Pie-Chart
3.3 Normal Distribution
4 Measures of Centrality
4.1 Mean
4.2 Median
4.3 Mode
4.3.1 Example: Calculate the mean, median and mode
5 Dispersion of a Distribution
5.1 Range
5.2 Interquartile Range
5.3 Variance
5.4 Standard Deviation
5.4.1 Example: Measures of Dispersion
5.5 Box Plots
5.6 Comparing Box Plots
5.6.1 Example: Box Plots
6 Comparing Distributions
6.1 Hypothesis Testing
6.2 P-Value
6.3 Typical Tests
6.3.1 Hands on Hypothesis Testing
7 References:
7.1 Theory:

Data and Variables


Data can be viewed as the raw material from which information is obtained.
Variables add meaning to the data.

Learning Outcomes
1. Outline the typical terminology used in data science.
2. Identify data distributions
3. Compare data distributions

Tabular Data
Before we process or analyze data, we have to capture and represent it using Variables
Variable is a label (field, header or title) that we give to our data.
Consider the following data in tabular form:

Faculty Name Area of Specialization Experience in yrs International Faculty # Assignments

Ahmad Data Science 23 Yes Medium

Ameen Operations Research 10 No High

Aqib Simulation 13 Yes High

Bashir Data Science 20 No Medium

Nadhir Operations Research 18 Yes Low

The column headings Faculty Name, Area of Specialization, Experience in yrs, International Faculty and # Assignments are the labels or fields.

Note: There are many formats in which data can be represented, in this course we will only consider tabular format (i.e. the data will have row corresponding to records, and column corresponding to fields).

Field Types
Some of the common field types that we often come in tabular data are:

1. Numerical Data: these are numerical values of the filed, where the value has a meaning. For example, in the previous table, Experience in yrs is a numerical data. A value of 10 in the second row implies
the corresponding faculty has 10 years of experience.
2. Categorical Data: there are non-numerical field values, where the value represents a category without any order. For example, in the previous table, International Faculty is a categorical data. A value of
'Yes' in the first row implies the corresponding faculty a foreign faculty. This column has two categories. Similarly, in the previous table, the column Area of Specialization is a categorical data, with 3
different categories.
A. Nominal Data: sometimes categorical data is represented using numbers for convenience. Such representation is called as nominal data. For example, in International Faculty column, one could
replace 'Yes' with 1 and 'No' with 0, or vice-versa. These numbers do not have meaningful mathematical or statistical insights. They are just representation for convenience.
B. Ordinal Data: these are non-numerical field values, where the value represents a category with order. For example, in the previous table, # Assignments is a ordinal data. A value of 'High' in the
second row implies the corresponding faculty assigns too many homeworks.

Note: Nominal data should not be considered as numeric data. Generally, categorical and nominal data are synonyms, but in this course we restrict the definition of nominal data to numerical representation
for convenience.

Field Segregation
Not all the fields in a given data table are same. They can be classified or segregated as:

1. Independent Variables: A variable that is thought to be controlled or not affected by other variables is called an independent variable. Typically, it is also known as attribute, control, explanatory,
regressor, input, predictor, observed, feature, field variable.
2. Dependent Variables: A variable that depends on other variable (and maybe of interest in the analysis). It is also known as predicted, explained, target, response, output/outcome, label variable.
3. Auxiliary Variables: These are the variables that provide meta information about the data, and may not be helpful (or may not be meant) to be used in the analysis.

Example: Variables/Fields
Question-A: Consider the following table:

Stu ID Score Subj GPA Honor Grade

2508 75 Math 2.97 0 B+

2679 81 Phys 3.25 0 B+

2416 95 Math 3.55 1 A

2720 85 Chem 3.12 0 B+

2575 81 Phys 3.09 0 B

2118 82 Math 3.33 0 B+

2060 97 Phys 3.78 1 A+

1. Identify all the variable/fields.


2. Identify the variable/field types.

1. Identify all the variable/fields.


From the above table, we can see the following fields: Stu ID, Score, Subj, GPA, Honor, and Grade.

2. Identify the variable/field types. The following table gives the required information:

Field Type

Stu ID Nominal

Score Numeric

Subj Categorical

GPA Numeric

Honor Nominal

Grade Ordinal

Frequency Distribution
A graph showing how many times each value occur in a variable.

Histogram
1. Plot values of observation on one of the axes (typically x-axis). The values can be ordered (if applicable)
2. Plot perpendicular bars to the above axis.
3. The height of the bar shows how many times each value occurred in the dataset.

Histograms of Non-numerical Data

Histograms of Numerical Data


1. When you have numeric values, it does not make sense to count the occurrences of each value.
2. Thus, we introduce the concept of buckets or bins.
3. The idea is to plot the bars for each bin/bucket, where the height of the bar indicates the number of values that belongs to the bin/bucket.

The following video shows the procedure.

Pie-Charts
1. Pie-charts are extends the visualization offered by histograms.
2. Typically, it is useful for the categorical data.
3. Unlike histogram, Pie-charts display the proportion/percentage of occurrence of each category.
4. The idea is to represent the proportion as the sectors of a circle, where the length of the arc represents the proportion.
5. When we depict all the categories, then the pie chart will be a full circle. Otherwise, it could be an incomplete circle.

Let us build the pie chart for the table given for non-numerical data. The process to draw pie-chart is shown in the following video.

Example: Hands on Histogram and Pie-Chart


Question-B: Consider the following table:

Stu ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Score 75 81 95 85 81 82 97 89 76 100 77 79 87 87 79 75 100 82 83 98 86 87 71 78 81

Subj M P M P P P P P M M P P P M P M M C C M C P P P M

1. Draw the histogram for Subj.


2. Draw the histogram for Score , with bins as 71-80, 81-90, 91-100.
3. For the above histogram, increase the bins to 30.
4. Draw the pie-chart for Subj.

In [17]: %matplotlib inline


# %matplotlib notebook
# 1. Draw the histogram for *Subj*.

Subj = ['M', 'P', 'M', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'M', 'M', 'P', 'P',
'P', 'M', 'P', 'M', 'M', 'C', 'C', 'M', 'C', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'M']

Score = [ 75, 81, 95, 85, 81, 82, 97, 89, 76, 100, 77, 79, 87,
87, 79, 75, 100, 82, 83, 98, 86, 87, 71, 78, 81]

import [Link] as plt

[Link](figsize=(5,5))
[Link](Subj)
[Link]()

In [18]: %matplotlib inline


# 2. Draw the histogram for *Score* , with bins as 71-80, 81-90, 91-100.

import [Link] as plt


[Link](figsize=(5,5))
[Link](Score,bins=[71,81,91,100]) # Creates three bins as: 71-80, 81-90, 91-100
[Link]()

# Note: once you import a library in a Jupyter session,


# you do not have to import it again in another cell or notebook.
# Sometimes, we repeat the libraries in every cell for the sake of completeness.

In [3]: # 3. For the above histogram, increase the bins to 30.

import [Link] as plt


[Link](figsize=(5,5))
[Link](Score,bins=30)
[Link]()

In [4]: # 4. Draw the pie-chart for *Subj*.

import numpy as np
subj_arr = [Link](Subj)
subj_labels, subj_counts = [Link](Subj,return_counts=True)

import [Link] as plt


[Link]()
[Link](subj_counts, labels = subj_labels,autopct='%.2f%%') #autopct to format labels
[Link]()

# # without using numpy to calculate subject labels


# cm,cp,cc=0,0,0
# for e in Subj:
# if e=='M':
# cm+=1
# elif e=="P":
# cp+=1
# else:
# cc+=1
# print(cm,cp,cc)

## To get counts
# print([Link]('M'))

# subj_counts = [(subj_arr==s).sum() for s in subj_labels]

# # Without List Comprehension


# sc=[]
# for e in subj_labels:
# [Link]((subj_arr==e).sum())
# print(sc)

## To get unique values


# print(set(Subj))

Normal Distribution
1. A histogram depicts the distribution of the variable.
2. A variable's distribution may not be easy to estimate.
3. However, it can be easy to check if it is closer to a particular distribution.
4. Among standard distributions, Normal Distribution is a prominent distribution.
5. Many statistical theories are based on the assumption of normal distribution.

So, let us see what normal distribution is, and how to know if a variable's distribution is closer to normal distribution.

Normal Distribution:

1. In an ideal world, data would be distributed symmetrically around the center of all the data.
2. If we draw a vertical line through the center of a distribution, both sides should look the same.
3. The so-called normal distribution is characterized by a bell-shaped curve.

Note: there actual process to measures Kurtosis and Skew will be skipped for now.

Measures of Centrality
How to estimate the center of distribution.

1. Often, one number can tell a lot about the distribution.


2. One of the basic measure is a number that points to the 'center' of the distribution.
3. However, the definition of 'center' is not straightforward. It depends upon the context.
4. In the following cells, we will look at the three common measures of 'center': mean, median and mode.

Mean
1. Mean is commonly referred as average, though they are not exactly synonyms.
2. Mean is often used to measure the central tendency of continuous data as well as discrete data.
3. If x1 , x2 , … , xn are values, then the mean ¯x
¯¯ is calculated as:

¯x
¯¯
x1 + x2 + … + xn
=
n

1. Mean is susceptible to the presence of outliers.


2. Mean is useful when the data distribution is normal distribution (or at least close to looking like a normal distribution).

Median
1. Median is the middle value of the data that has been sorted according to the values of the data.
2. When the data has even number of values, median is calculated as the average of the two middle values.
3. Typically, median is less susceptible to the presence of outliers (compared to mean).

Mode
1. Mode is the most frequently occurring value in a dataset.
2. Typically, mode is used for non-numerical data.
3. On a histogram, the category of the highest bar denotes the mode of the data.

Example: Calculate the mean, median and mode


Question-C: Consider the following table:

Stu ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Score 75 81 95 85 81 82 97 89 76 100 77 79 87 87 79 75 100 82 83 98 86 87 71 78 81

1. Calculate the mean, median and mode of the data (by hand).
2. Calculate the above measures using Python.

1. Calculate the mean, median and mode of the data (by hand).

Mean:

75 + 81 + 95 + 85 + 81 + 82 + 97 + 89 + 76 + 100 + 77 + 79 + 87 + 87 + 79 + 75 + 100 + 82 + 83 + 98 + 86 + 87 + 71 + 78 + 81
= 84.44
25
Median: (sorted in ascending order)

Scoresorted = [71, 75, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 79, 81, 81, 81, 82, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 87, 87, 89, 95, 97, 98, 100, 100]

Mode: (unique values and occurrence)

Value 71 75 76 77 78 79 81 82 83 85 86 87 89 95 97 98 100

Occurrence 1 2 1 1 1 2 3 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 2

From the above table, we can see that the mode is not unique, and the values are 81 and 87.

In [4]: # 2. Calculate the above measures using Python.

import numpy as np
from scipy import stats

Score = [75, 81, 95, 85, 81, 82, 97, 89, 76, 100, 77, 79, 87, 87, 79, 75, 100, 82, 83, 98, 86, 87, 71, 78, 81]
Score = [Link](Score)

print(f'The mean is {[Link]()}, the median is {[Link](Score)}, and the mode is {[Link](Score)[0]}.')

# [Link] return single minimum value of the mode,


# when multiple non-unique modes are present in the data.

The mean is 84.44, the median is 82.0, and the mode is [81].

In [6]: # For python 3.8.


# The following code displays all the modes.

# from statistics import multimode


# multimode(Score)

Dispersion of a Distribution
How to measure the spread of a distribution.

1. A measure of 'center' may not be enough in understanding the actual shape of a distribution.
2. The spread or dispersion of a distribution can be measured using the following typical measures: Range, Interquartile Range, Variance and Standard Deviation.

Range
1. It is the difference between the largest value and the smallest value.
2. It is susceptible to the outliers.

Interquartile Range
1. It is the range obtained after removing extreme values.
2. One convention is to cut-off the top and bottom one-quarter of the data and calculate the range of the remaining middle 50% of the scores.
3. The bottom one-quarter values of data are also known as lower or first quartile (25th percentile). It is denoted as Q1 .
4. The top one-quarter values of data are also known as upper or third quartile (75th percentile). It is denoted as Q3 .
5. The Interquartile Range(IQR) is now calculated as:

IQR = Q3 − Q1

Variance
1. It is a measure used to indicate how spread out the data points are.
2. If the individual observations vary greatly from the group mean, then the variance is big; and vice versa.
3. The variance of the population is defined by the following formula:

¯¯¯¯¯
2
∑(Xi − X)2
σ =
N
¯¯¯¯¯
where σ 2 is the population variance, X is the population mean, Xi is the ith element from the population, and N is the number of elements in the population.
4. The variance of the sample is defined by the following formula:

¯¯ 2
∑(xi − ¯x)
2
s =
n−1

where s2 is the sample variance, ¯x


¯¯ is the sample mean, x is the ith element from the sample, and n is the number of elements in the sample.
i
5. The above formula, the variance of the sample is an unbiased estimate of the variance of the population.

Standard Deviation
1. It is the square root of the variance.
2. It is computed as:

s=√
∑(xi − ¯x)
¯¯ 2

n−1

where s is the sample standard deviation, ¯x


¯¯ is the sample mean, x is the ith element from the sample, and n is the number of elements in the sample.
i

1. The advantage: the units of standard deviation is same as the units of the data.
2. The above is not true for variance.

Example: Measures of Dispersion


Question-D: Consider the following table:

Stu ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Score 75 81 95 85 81 82 97 89 76 100 77 79 87 87 79 75 100 82 83 98 86 87 71 78 81

1. Calculate the Range, Variance, and Standard deviation of the data (by hand).
2. Calculate the above measures using Python.
3. Calculate the interquartile range.

1. Calculate the Range, Sample Variance, and corresponding Standard deviation of the data (by hand).

Range: The max value in the data is 100. The min value in the data is 71.
Thus, the range is 100-71 = 29.

Variance: The following table illustrates the calculations:

Stu ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Score 75 81 95 85 81 82 97 89 76 100 77 79 87 87 79 75 100 82 83 98 86 87 71

(x − ¯x¯¯) -9.44 -3.44 10.56 0.56 -3.44 -2.44 12.56 4.56 -8.44 15.56 -7.44 -5.44 2.56 2.56 -5.44 -9.44 15.56 -2.44 -1.44 13.56 1.56 2.56 -13.4

(x − ¯x¯¯)2 89.1136 11.8336 111.5136 0.3136 11.8336 5.9536 157.7536 20.7936 71.2336 242.1136 55.3536 29.5936 6.5536 6.5536 29.5936 89.1136 242.1136 5.9536 2.0736 183.8736 2.4336 6.5536 180.63

The sum of the elements of the last row divided by 24 gives sample variance, which is equal to 67.34.

Standard deviation: It is the square root of variance, and for the given data it is equal to 8.21.

In [1]: import numpy as np

Score = [ 75, 81, 95, 85, 81, 82, 97, 89, 76, 100, 77, 79, 87, 87, 79, 75, 100, 82, 83, 98, 86, 87, 71, 78, 81]
Score = [Link](Score)

print(f"""The Range is {[Link]()-[Link]()},


the sample variance is {[Link](Score,ddof=1)}, and
the sample standard deviation is {[Link](Score,ddof=1)}.""")

The Range is 29,


the sample variance is 67.33999999999999, and
the sample standard deviation is 8.206095295571457.

In [8]: Q3, Q1 = [Link](Score, [75 ,25])

## Or indivudial
# Q3 = [Link](Score, 75)
# Q1 = [Link](Score, 25)

IQR = Q3 - Q1
print(f'The interquartile range is {IQR}')
# print(Q3,Q1)

The interquartile range is 8.0

Box Plots
To build a boxplot, following things are required from the data.

1. The min and max values in the data.


2. The first and third quartile of the data.
3. The median of the data.

Now, using the above values, box plot is drawn as follows:

Example of box plot:

Comparing Box Plots


1. Compare position and length of the boxes.
2. Compare the position of medians.
3. Compare position and length of the whiskers.

Example: Box Plots


Question-E: Consider the following table:

Stu ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Score 75 81 95 85 81 82 97 89 76 100 77 79 87 87 79 75 100 82 83 98 86 87 71 78 81

Draw the box plot of score using Python inbuilt function.

In [2]: # Draw the box plot of score.

Score = [ 75, 81, 95, 85, 81, 82, 97, 89, 76, 100, 77, 79, 87, 87, 79, 75, 100, 82, 83, 98, 86, 87, 71, 78, 81]
Score = [Link](Score)

import [Link] as plt


[Link](figsize=(3,8))
[Link](Score)
[Link]('Box Plot')
[Link]()

Comparing Distributions
Are the two distributions similar or dissimilar?

1. Often there is a need to compare different distributions to derive some important insights or make decisions.
2. Visual inspection via comparing histograms (or any graphical depiction of distribution) is not practical (and not easy).
3. Visual inspection via comparing box plots.
4. Hypothesis testing and Confidence or probability value are used for comparing distributions.

Hypothesis Testing
1. A hypothesis is a way to state our assumption or belief that could be tested.
2. The default knowledge or assumption could be stated as a null hypothesis.
3. The opposite of the default knowledge is stated as alternative hypothesis.
4. Example:
Null hypothesis: no difference between the two distributions.
Alternative hypothesis: there is a difference between the two distributions.
P-Value
1. p-value is the confidence or probability value of the null hypothesis.
2. It indicates how much we believe the two distributions are the same.
3. If p-value is very small, then we can reject the null hypothesis, and accept the alternative hypothesis.
4. If p-value is not very small, then we fail to reject the null hypothesis.
5. Typically, a p-value less than 0.05 or 5% is considered as very small.

Typical Tests
1. Shapiro-Wilk Test: Test if a data sample follows normal distribution.
Null hypothesis: the sample has a normal distribution.
2. Student's t-test: Tests if the means of two independent samples are significantly different. Assume data follow normal distributions.
Null hypothesis: the means of the samples are equal.
3. Mann-Whitney U Test: Tests if the means of two independent samples are significantly different.
Null hypothesis: the means of the distributions are equal.

Hands on Hypothesis Testing


Question-F: Consider the following data:

Stu ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Score_1 75 81 85 85 81 82 87 89 73 100 72 79 87 87 79 75 100 82 83 88 86 87 66 78 81

Score_2 70 99 70 100 78 66 76 79 65 77 100 85 71 99 66 84 87 66 66 74 81 83 85 75 66

1. Check if Score_1 and Score_2 follows normal distribution.


2. Draw the box plots of Score_1 and Score_2, and comment on their similarity/dissimilarity.
3. Check if the means of Score_1 and Score_2 are equal using Student's t-test.
4. Check if the means of Score_1 and Score_2 are equal using Mann-Whitney U Test.

In [1]: import numpy as np

Score_1 = [75, 81, 85, 85, 81, 82, 87, 89, 73, 100, 72, 79, 87, 87, 79, 75, 100, 82, 83, 88, 86, 87, 66, 78, 81]
Score_2 = [70, 99, 70, 100, 78, 66, 76, 79, 65, 77, 100, 85, 71, 99, 66, 84, 87, 66, 66, 74, 81, 83, 85, 75, 66]
# They can be of different lengths

In [3]: # 1. Check if Score_1 and Score_2 follows normal distribution.


from [Link] import shapiro
xc=shapiro(Score_1)
print(xc)

_, pval = shapiro(Score_1)
print('p-value',pval)

if pval <0.05:
print("We reject null hypothesis for Score_1")
else:
print("We fail to reject null hypothesis for Score_1")

print("\n"*3)

_, pval = shapiro(Score_2)
print('p-value',pval)

if pval <0.05:
print("We reject null hypothesis for Score_2")
else:
print("We fail to reject null hypothesis for Score_2")

ShapiroResult(statistic=0.9529008269309998, pvalue=0.29114970564842224)
p-value 0.29114970564842224
We fail to reject null hypothesis for Score_1

p-value 0.01274434570223093
We reject null hypothesis for Score_2

In [31]: # 2. Draw the box plots of Score_1 and Score_2, and comment on their similarity/dissimilarity.
import [Link] as plt
fig =[Link](figsize=(6,8))
ax = fig.add_subplot(111) #fig.add_subplot(ROW,COLUMN,POSITION)
[Link]([Score_1,Score_2])
[Link]('Box Plot')
ax.set_xticklabels(['Score_1', 'Score_2'])
[Link]()

# # Looking at the box plots, we see the following:


# 1. The median for Score_1 is more than Score_2.
# 2. The IQRs are different.
# 3. For Score_1, the median is closer to Q1.
# 4. For Score_2, the median is almost at the center of Q1 and Q3.
# 5. They upper whisker lengths are different. Similarly, the lower whisker lengths are different.

# There is a possibility of having differences in the distributions.

In [32]: # 3. Check if the means of Score_1 and Score_2 are equal using Student's t-test.
from [Link] import ttest_ind
import numpy as np

#Student’s t-test is very good when the data follows normal distribution
_,pval = ttest_ind(Score_1,Score_2,equal_var=False)
print('p-value',pval)

if pval <0.05:
print("We reject null hypothesis")
else:
print("We fail to reject null hypothesis")

p-value 0.15643810807436723
We fail to reject null hypothesis

In [36]: # 4. Check if the means of Score_1 and Score_2 are equal using Mann-Whitney U Test.
from [Link] import mannwhitneyu

#Mann-Whitney test is useful in general (no assumption of normal distribution)


_,pval = mannwhitneyu(Score_1,Score_2)
print('p-value',pval)

if pval <0.05:
print("We reject null hypothesis")
else:
print("We fail to reject null hypothesis")

p-value 0.02961242046613917
We reject null hypothesis

References:
Theory:
1. Chirag Shah, "A Hands-On Introduction to Data Science," Cambridge University Press, 2020, Section 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.3.4.
2. Plots: [Link]
3. Numpy: [Link]
4. Scipy: [Link]

In [ ]:

Common questions

Powered by AI

Histograms are used to represent the frequency distribution of numerical data, showing the number of observations within specific ranges or bins, which helps visualize the shape, spread, and central tendency of the data . Pie charts, on the other hand, are effective for categorical data, displaying the proportion of each category in a dataset, making them suitable for showing parts of a whole in a circular format . The choice of visualization depends on the data type and the kind of insights needed—whether distribution (histogram) or proportion (pie chart).

Increasing the number of bins in a histogram leads to a more granular visualization, potentially highlighting finer details of data distribution, such as minor peaks or variations. However, it can also introduce noise, making interpretation more challenging by overemphasizing random variations. Conversely, fewer bins might obscure important data patterns by oversimplifying the distribution . The balance of bin size is crucial for accurately interpreting data distribution characteristics .

Independent variables are those that are manipulated or controlled in experiments to observe their effect on dependent variables, which are the outcomes of interest. The independent variable is considered the cause, and changes in the dependent variable are perceived as effects due to the manipulation of the independent variable. This distinction helps in establishing cause-and-effect relationships in scientific analyses .

The Shapiro-Wilk test assesses whether data follows a normal distribution by calculating a test statistic and corresponding p-value. A significant p-value (typically <0.05) suggests the data does not come from a normal distribution, rejecting the null hypothesis of normality . Normality is crucial for many parametric statistical tests (e.g., t-tests) that assume the data is normally distributed to provide valid results. Failing to meet this assumption could lead to incorrect conclusions .

The mean is calculated by averaging all values, which means extreme values (outliers) can significantly affect it, pulling the mean towards the outlier. This susceptibility makes the mean less robust in skewed distributions. The median, however, is the middle value in a sorted data set and is less influenced by outliers, providing a better measure of centrality in such cases. The mean is most appropriate in normally distributed data, whereas the median is more suitable in skewed distributions .

The Mann-Whitney U Test is non-parametric, used to compare differences between two independent samples that do not require the assumption of normality in data distribution. It is ideal when data do not meet parametric test assumptions, like normal distribution . The Student’s t-test, a parametric test, compares means of two independent samples assuming normal distribution. It is more powerful with data that satisfy these assumptions. Use the t-test for normal data and Mann-Whitney for non-normal data .

Nominal data is used for labeling variables without any quantitative value, while ordinal data represents categories with a specific order but no standard distance between categories. Nominal data is usually represented numerically for convenience, but should not be considered numerical for analytical purposes . In contrast, ordinal data can imply a hierarchy, such as 'low', 'medium', and 'high', which helps in ordering analyses but lacks precision in measuring differences .

The p-value in hypothesis testing quantifies the probability of observing the test results under the null hypothesis. A small p-value (commonly <0.05) indicates strong evidence against the null hypothesis, leading to its rejection and the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis. If the p-value is not small, it suggests insufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis, so it is retained . This interpretation helps in decision-making in statistical hypotheses and assessing the significance of results .

IQR is more informative than standard deviation in scenarios with skewed distributions or when outliers are present. IQR, which measures the middle 50% of data, minimizes the impact of extreme scores because it only considers data between the first and third quartiles. Standard deviation, which considers all data points, can be significantly affected by outliers, potentially misrepresenting the true spread of the central data .

Box plots allow for the comparison of central tendency, spread, and outlier presence in two distributions. By examining medians, quartiles, and whiskers, one can infer similarities or differences in data dispersion, skewness, and the occurrence of outliers. Differences in interquartile ranges (IQRs) or median positions can indicate variability in distribution and potential differences in data characteristics between the groups .

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