MATH 1107 Elementary Statistics Lecture 1 Introduction to Statistics

About this course –Objectives –Assignments, Project & Grading Policy –Course Syllabus & Schedule –Use of Internet Site and EXCEL About You –Course Expectations MATH Introduction

Why I think Statistics is important: Nothing Kills an Opinion Like a Number; “ Data trumps intuition. Instead of using our intuition, we experiment on the live site and let our customers tell us what works for them” – Director of Data Mining at Amazon (page 8) Stats is the basic medium for communication of data; “ Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write.”- H.G. Wells A basic understanding of Stats (and EXCEL) is required to do anything in any discipline well. MATH Introduction

Statistics and Decision Making: IntelligenceDesignChoice MATH Introduction

Data assumes different forms – it answers the questions of Who, What, When, Where, Why and How: Census Sample Parameter Sample Qualitative Quantitative Discrete Continuous MATH Introduction

1.Nominal – Categorical Gender Colors 2.Ordinal – Categorical with Order Course Grade High/Medium/Low 3.Interval – No Natural Starting Point Temperature 4.Ratio – Meaningful differences and True zero Price of textbooks Weight of textbooks