Descriptive statistics is a branch of statistics that deals with the collection, presentation, and analysis of data in order to provide an accurate summary of the main features of a dataset. It involves the use of various measures and techniques to describe the central tendency, variability, and distribution of a dataset.
Some common descriptive statistics measures include:
Mean: The mean is the average of a set of numbers. It is calculated by adding up all the numbers in the set and dividing by the total number of values.
Median: The median is the middle value in a dataset. It is the value that separates the lower half of the dataset from the upper half.
Mode: The mode is the value that occurs most frequently in a dataset.
Range: The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset.
Variance: Variance measures how much the values in a dataset deviate from the mean. It is calculated by squaring the difference between each value and the mean, adding up the squares, and dividing by the total number of values minus one.
Standard deviation: Standard deviation is the square root of the variance. It measures the average distance between each value and the mean.
Central tendency: This refers to the typical or most representative value of a dataset. Measures of central tendency include the mean, median, and mode.
Dispersion: This refers to the spread of values in a dataset. Measures of dispersion include the range, variance, and standard deviation.
Skewness: This refers to the symmetry or asymmetry of the distribution of values in a dataset. Skewness can be measured using various statistics, such as the skewness coefficient.
Kurtosis: This refers to the degree of "peakedness" or "flatness" of the distribution of values in a dataset. Kurtosis can be measured using various statistics, such as the kurtosis coefficient.
Frequency distributions: This refers to the distribution of values in a dataset across different categories or intervals. Frequency distributions can be visualized using histograms, frequency polygons, or other types of charts.
Descriptive statistics are useful in a wide range of fields, including business, economics, psychology, and healthcare, as it allows researchers and analysts to summarize and understand complex data in a simple and meaningful way.
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