Introduction:

Statistics is about data (observations). In statistics we organize and analyze data. We come up
with statements that somehow summarize what the data looks like all together.

Probability is about planning experiments and comparing the number of possible outcomes to the
number of outcomes you want.

Body:

When someone mentions the word statistics in some informative results such as in "Statistics
show that 90% of the population are..." or "Results show that only half of those surveyed are...",
he or she is concerned about the results of statistical analysis. That is statistics in common usage;
it is the summarized results derived from initial data. Statistics as a discipline is concerned much
more: it is the painstaking and computation-heavy analysis that precedes the conclusions and the
generation of additional implications after results are made.

(1) Data collection - Data is often collected from what we call samples (the subjects for a
statistical study) and samples are selected properly through what we call sampling methods. It
would be more desirable to use the entire population as the subject for study, but as there are
severe constraints to analyzing the entire population (one of which is sheer size), statisticians
would be satisfied with samples. Samples are usually people, but they can be objects. Sampling
methods are classified as probability sampling methods (where the probability of each member
of the population to participate in the study can be calculated) and non-probability sampling
methods (any sampling method where the probability of each participant to be chosen in the
sample cannot be calculated)

Many think that data collection is as simple as asking the respondents a few questions about a
survey. That is far from actual statistical practice. While this dimension of statistics is not
mentioned in statistics textbooks, it is often mentioned in research textbooks. Apparatus (such as
questionnaires, survey sheets, and interviews) should be as reliable as possible so that they can
extract data from the sample as completely and accurately as possible. Ideally, there should be no
bias in data collection; and all intentional biases should have a rationale behind it.

(2) Data organization - It is concerned with the most efficient way to present data, as in graphs,
charts, tables, or diagrams. Some graphs serve a definite purpose. Bar graphs, for instance, show
the respective quantities of discrete objects through bar lengths. Pie graphs show quantities and
percentages through proportional sectors of a circle.

(3) Data interpretation - This is the where all the formulae of statistical analysis are used. Data
interpretation depends on the type of conclusions sought. Here two other divisions of statistics
should be examined. Descriptive statistics concerns itself with the general attributes of the data
being studied. It is just showing the characteristics of the given data. Examples include getting
the measures of distribution (frequency distribution, histogram, stem-and-leaf plotting), measures
of central tendency (mean, median, mode), and measures of dispersion (e.g. range and standard
deviation). Inferential statistics concerns itself with deriving conclusions beyond the given data.
Remember that most statistical studies use samples instead of entire populations.

Inferential statistics is used, given the data from the sample, to make conclusions about the
general population where the sample comes from. The most common inferential statistics
methods are t-test, ANOVA (analysis of variance), regression analysis, and chi-square analysis.
Statistics has plenty of real-world applications, the most common of which is interpreting scores
and conducting surveys:

Interpreting scores include plenty of descriptive statistics, like this: mean - average score; median
- the score where there are equal quantities of scores higher and lower than that score; mode - the
most frequently occurring score; range - the difference between the highest and lowest score; and
standard deviation - a measure of how 'stable' the scores are, or how far apart the scores are from
the mean.

Surveying often requires massive amounts of descriptive and inferential statistics. Furthermore,
there should be extra sensitivity in selecting respondents and organizing survey results so that the
conclusions derived from statistical analysis will be as impartial as possible.

Reference/Citations:

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