STAT 200 Chapter 1 Looking at Data - Distributions

What is Statistics?

Statistics is a science that involves the design of studies, data collection, summarizing and

analyzing the data, interpreting the results and drawing conclusions.

Inferences (conclusions) are made about specic random phenomena on the basis of rela-

tively limited sample material.

Data and Variables

Lets look at the data extracted from medical records of 50 patients with low back pain:

    Subject   Age   Gender   In employment?    Duration   Severity    First episode

                                                of pain    of pain       of pain

       1      35      F            No           3 weeks     mild         1 year

       2      42      F            Yes         13...