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What I’ve Learned about Statistics Statistics is all around us that, in fact, it would be difficult to go through the day without being flooded with some sort of statistics or statistical information. It is so commonly used in everyday conversations – be it regarding customer surveys, weather forecasts, political polls, or sports statistics – that we find it difficult to differentiate flawed from actual valid claims. So many times we hear “9 out of 10 says…” or “99 percent of the people” that statistics has been labeled as the science of stating precisely what we do not really know. In this paper, I will break down what statistics actually is and its daily application in our lives, business and personal.
Statistics and Its Importance Statistics is more than just a complex branch of mathematics. It is the collection, classification, analysis, and interpretation of numerical facts from data (Dunn & Fahey, 2005) that businesses use to evaluate trends and make estimates or forecasts critical to its success and/or failure. When done correctly, the use of historical data or trends can help make future business decisions leading to the success of your organization (Carden, 2013). In economics, for instance, relationships between supply and demand are found using statistical information. In this paper, I will use the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFOQT) cadet life cycle information to explain some of the basic facets of statistics.
Types of Statistical Data Descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics refers to descriptors summarizing a set of data, which may represent the entire population or some of it (Tanner & Youssef, 2013). For instance, in AFROTC cadets are required to take a physical assessment during each term and individual scores are recorded and used in order to get the average score for each class level. The data collected

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