3.1 - Descriptive Statistics

Question 1

Why is descriptive statistics important in data analysis?

Answer 1

They summarize data in meaningful ways, making patterns, trends, and outliers easier to understand.

Question 2

What are the main categories of descriptive statistics?

Answer 2

Measures of central tendency, measures of spread/variability, and data visualization summaries

Question 3

Name three measures of central tendency.

Answer 3

Mean, Median, Mode

Question 4

The ______ is the arithmetic average of a dataset.

Answer 4

Mean

Question 5

The ______ is the middle value when data is ordered.

Answer 5

Median

Question 6

The ______ is the most frequently occurring value in a dataset.

Answer 6

Mode

Question 7

Name two measures of variability (spread).

Answer 7

Range, Variance, Standard Deviation, Interquartile Range

Question 8

The difference between the largest and smallest values in a dataset is called the ______.

Answer 8

Range

Question 9

Why is it important to look at variability as well as central tendency?

Answer 9

Central tendency summarizes typical values, while variability shows how spread out or consistent the data is.

Question 10

Give one example of visual summary used in descriptive statistics.

Answer 10

Examples: histogram, box plot, bar chart, pie chart.

Question 11

Which measure is least affected by extreme values?
A) Mean
B) Median
C) Mode
D) Range

Answer 11

B) Median

Question 12

How do descriptive statistics support decision-making?

Answer 12

They provide a clear snapshot of data, highlighting trends, outliers, and patterns that inform decisions.