Homework 1

Continuous variable

A continuous variable is a quantitative variable that has an infinite number of possible values that are not countable. A continuous variable may take on every possible value between any two values.

Discrete variable

A discrete variable is a quantitative variable that has either a finite number of possible values or a countable number of possible values. A discrete variable cannot take on every possible value between any two possible values.

Interval level of measurement

A variable is at the ____ ____ ____ ____ if it has the properties of the ordinal level of measurement and the differences in the values of the variable have meaning. A value of zero does not mean the absence of the quantity. Arithmetic operations such as addition and subtraction can be performed on the values of the variable.

Ordinal level of measurement

A variable s at the ___ ___ ___ ____ if it has the properties of the nominal level of measurement. However, the naming scheme allows for the values of the variable to be arranged in a ranked or specific order.

____ variables typically result from measurement and are often rounded.

Continuous

The list of observed values for a variable is called ___

Data

Observations corresponding to a discrete variable is _____

Discrete data

Discrete Data

Discrete data are observations corresponding to a discrete variable

T or F If variables vary, they would be constants.

False If variables DID NOT vary, they would be constants

Observations corresponding to a qualitative variable is called ____

Qualitative data

Qualitative data

Qualitative data are observations corresponding to a qualitative variable

Quantitative data

Quantitative data are observations corresponding to a quantitative variable.

A numerical summary of a sample is called a ______

Statistic

_____ is the science of collecting, organizing, summarizing, and analyzing information to draw a conclusion and answer questions. In addition, statistics is about providing a measure of confidence in any conclusions.

Statistics

The Process of Statistics

Step 1: Identify the research objective. A researcher must determine the question or question he or she wants answered. The question or questions must be detailed so that they identify the population that is to be studied. Step 2: Collect the data needed to answer the questions posed in step 1. Conducting research on an entire population is often difficult and expensive, so we typically look at a sample. this step is vital to the statistical process because if the data are not collected correctly, the conclusions drawn are meaningless. Do not overlook the importance of appropriate data collection. Step 3: Describe the data. Descriptive statistics allow the researcher to obtain an overview of the data and can help determine the type of statistical methods the researcher should use. Step 4: Perform Inference. Apply the appropriate techniques to extend the results obtained from the sample to the population and report a level of reliability of the results.

Variables

The characteristics of the individuals in a study are variables

Data

The list of observed values for a variable is data

Qualitative or quantitative: Grams of carbs in a donut

The variable is quantitative because it is a numerical measure.

T or F A variable is discrete if it's value results from counting

True

T or F Statistics involves the collection of information

True

Continuous data

____ are observations corresponding to a continuous variable.

Nominal level of measurement

a variable is at the _______ _____ ___ _____ if the values of the variable name, label, or categorize. In addition, the naming scheme does not allow for the values of the variable to be arranged in ranked or specific order.

A numerical summary of a population is called a ______

parameter