In today’s society, decisions are made on the basis of data. Most scientific or industrial studies and experiments produce data, and the analysis of these data and drawing useful conclusions from them become one of the central issues. Statistics is an integral part of the quantitative approach to knowledge. The field of statistics is concerned with the scientific study of collecting, organizing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Statistics benefits all of us because of its ability to predict the future based on data we have previously gathered. Statistical methods help us to transform data to information and knowledge. Statistical concepts enable us to solve problems in a diversity of contexts, add substance to decisions, and reduce guesswork. The discipline of statistics stemmed from the need to place knowledge management on a systematic evidence base. Earlier works on statistics dealt only with the collection, organization, and presentation of data in the form of tables and charts. In order to place statistical knowledge on a systematic evidence base, we require a study of the laws of probability. In mathematical statistics we create a probabilistic model and view the data as a set of random outcomes from that model. Advances in probability theory enable us to draw valid conclusions and to make reasonable decisions on the basis of data. In the present chapter we briefly review some of the basic concepts of descriptive statistics. Such concepts will give us a visual and descriptive presentation of the problem under investigation.
Keywords