Note: This was the first lecture of the class, so most of the time we spent going over material and not actually going over content, so these notes are somewhat short.
Statistics : Collection of procedures and principles for gathering and analyzing information, in order to help make decisions.
Sample data : Data collected from a subset of a larger population.
Population data : Data collected from an entire population.
Statistic : A summary measure of sample data.
Parameter : A summary measure of population data.
Variable : A characteristic that differs from one individual to the next. Can be quantitative or categorical.
Categorical variable : A variable which can fall in one of several discrete categories, where there is no notion of ordering. Ex. yes/no questions, drink sizes, shirt sizes.
Quantitative variable : A variable which can be compared to other variables in the same category, where there are "greater than" or "less than" relationships. Can either be discrete or continuous. Ex. height, GPA, age.