Question

What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics? Obviously only a crude (but accurate) answer is necessary. 16. 17. A researcher believes that the number of deaths per year to a very rare disease is a Poisson distribution. For the past five years, there have been 2, 5, 6, 5,4 deaths. Estimate the probability that exactly 2 people will die from this disease in the next year 18. Traditionally, I give one free question on a final. This is it. Here are ten points. You need not answer this question to get points, but if you wish to you may. What is the oldest movie you have ever seen? Was it black and white? Was it maybe even silent? Did you enjoy it?

Answer 1

Answer 16;

Descriptive Statistics is used to describe the population under the study. It helps in summarization of data to describe the data properly. Descriptive statistics is mainly done through charts, graphs and tables. The statistical measures used in case of descriptive statistics are - Mean and Median as measures of Central tendency, Range or standard deviation to measure dispersion, Skewness to know whether the data set is symmetric or skewed.

Inferential Statistics helps in making inferences about the population based on the sample analysis and observation.It compares, test and predicts the data set. Thus, it involves, defining the population we are studying, drawing the representative sample from the population and then analyzing. The most common methodologies used in case of inferential statistics are hypothesis testing, Confidence Intervals and regression Analysis.