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Course Content


Topic outline

  • Introducation

    Statistics is the science of data. It enables the collection, analysis, understanding, and presentation of data. It helps in the study of many other fields, such as medicine, economics, psychology, and marketing. 

    Someone who works in statistics is called a statistician.

    Statistics provides ways to get the data needed for a study without waste, such as surveys and controlled experiments


  • Collecting data

    Before we can describe the world with statistics, we must collect data. The data that we collect in statistics are called measurements. After we collect data, we use one or more numbers to describe each observation or measurement. For example, suppose we want to find out how popular a certain TV show is. We can pick a group of people (called a sample) out of the total population of viewers. Then we ask each one how often they watch the show, or (better) we measure it by attaching a counter to each of their television sets.



    • Activity

      • Find articles that contain data and statistics. The use of percentages, statements such as, "3 out of 4 people surveyed said that…," and ranked lists of favorites are all clues that you are reading statistics.
      • Use the outdoor area of your school.
      • Students work with a team of classmates. Brainstorm survey topics for a poll of students in your class. Think of a survey and the questions. (Find a topic which is related to nature, ie. number to trees in the garden, number of trees with flowers, or with leaves). 
      • Create survey sheets. Write the question across the top of the page. Write the survey choices down the left side. Poll the group. Record the survey responses with tally marks beside the choices. 
      • Calculate the results.
      • Create a graph with the results of the survey. 
      • Create a bar graph or a pie chart.
      • Discuss the results and the process.