Statistics Branch of science that deals with the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. Purpose of statistics is to make an inference about a population by examining a sample. Collection of Data Refers to the process of gathering information. Primary source: questionnaires, interviews. Secondary source: journals, books. Presentation of Data Organization and arrangement of data in tabular form (tables), graphical representation (graphs). Analysis of Data Application and interpretation using statistical tools to derive meaning. Inspection of Data Descriptive Statistics: Involves describing the basic features of the data in a study. Provides simple summaries about the sample and measures. Inferential Statistics: Makes judgments and reaches conclusions about populations based on samples. Population vs Sample Population: entirety Sample: only part of population Fundamental or Descriptive Statistics: Measures Of Central Tendency: Mean (average) Median (middle value) Mode (most frequent) Measures Of Dispersion/Variability: Range (difference between highest & lowest) Variance & standard deviation Measures Of Position: Quartiles & percentiles Measures Of Relationship Between Variables: Correlation coefficient Types Of Data: Primary Data – original source. Secondary Data – derived from primary. Major Characteristics Of Data Sources: Primary Source – direct from respondent; more accurate; costly; time-consuming. Secondary Source – characteristic not