TODAY’S AGENDA 1. PICK SEATS/PARTNERS AND TURN IN PREFACE READING GUIDE IN TRAY ON DESK 2. TOP 10… 3. VIDEO – WHAT IS STATISTICS? 4. WORD ASSOCIATION 5. CATEGORICAL VS. QUANTITATIVE VARIABLES 6. TOUR OF THE BOOK

Word Associations!

Think of the first word that comes to mind to describe the following disciplines…. Write it down on your paper and see how you do!

Economics is about………

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ MONEY

Biology is about………

LIFE!!

Engineering is about………

HOW

Philosophy is about………

WHY

Anthropology is about………

WHO

Accounting is about……… (two words)

HOW MUCH

And finally, last but certainly NOT least…

Statistics is about………

Variation

Statistics helps to make sense of it all!!! Data vary People are different We can’t see everything, let alone measure it We often measure imperfectly The data we wind up looking at and basing our decisions on provides an imperfect picture of the world Statistics helps to make sense of it all!!!

What Are Data? Data can be numbers, record names, or other labels. Not all data represented by numbers are numerical data (e.g., 1=male, 2=female). Data are useless without their context…

What and Why Variables are characteristics recorded about each individual. The variables should have a name that identify What has been measured. To understand variables, you must Think about what you want to know.

What and Why (cont.) A categorical (or qualitative) variable names categories and answers questions about how cases fall into those categories. Categorical examples: sex, race, ethnicity A quantitative variable is a measured variable (with units) that answers questions about the quantity of what is being measured. Quantitative examples: income ($), height (inches), weight (pounds)

TURN TO PAGE 3 IN YOUR PACKET

Tonight’s HW: 1st: Read Pages 2 -5 and fill out the Magical Mystery Tour in Packet 2nd: Write a paragraph that tells the story of your class from looking at the data collected in class