Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Statistics |
StatisticsNoun1. A branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "statistics" was first used: 1770. (references) |
Etymology: Statistics \Sta*tis"tics\, noun. [Compare to the French expression statistique, German statistik. See State, noun.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | Statistics |
Health | A branch of mathematics that deals with collecting, reviewing, summarizing, and interpreting data or information. Statistics are used to determine whether differences between study groups are meaningful. (references) |
Mining | The collection, tabulation, and study of numerical facts and data. In industry, statistics indicate trends that would be almost impossible to establish by other means. The statistical method is useful in: (1) estimating the real value of work done, goods, or machines in terms of useful service and maintenance costs; and (2) estimating and forecastingprofits and markets. See also:parameter. (references) |
Statistics | Numerical values summarizing sample data. Source: European Union. (references) |
| In a narrower sense the term. . --. . is used to denote the data themselves or numbers devived from the data. . . . employment statistics. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A seemingly intrinsic part of the game of baseball is the keeping of statistics on the achievements of the players. It was started by Henry Chadwick in the 19th century who devised the concept of batting average based on his experience of cricket. Commonly used statistics with their abbreviations are explained here:
Hitting statistics
- 1B - Single
- 2B - Double
- 3B - Triple
- AB - At bat
- BA - Batting average
- BB - Base on balls (also called a "walk")
- CS - Caught stealing
- FC - Fielder's choice
- G - Games played
- H - Hit
- HBP - Hit by pitch
- HR - Home run
- OBP - On base percentage
- OPS - On-base plus slugging
- PA - Plate appearance
- R - Run
- RBI - Run batted in
- SB - Stolen base
- SF - Sacrifice fly
- SH - Sacrifice hit
- SLG - Slugging percentage
- SO - Strike out (also abbreviated K)
- TB - Total bases
Pitching statistics
- BB - Base on balls (also called a "walk")
- CG - Complete game
- ER - Earned run
- ERA - Earned run average
- GF - Games finished
- GS - Games started
- IP - Innings pitched
- L - Loss
- SHO - Shutout
- SO - Strike out (also abbreviated K)
- SV - Save
- W - Win
- WHIP - Walks plus hits per inning pitched
Fielding statistics
- A - Assist
- DP - Double play
- E - Error
- PB - Passed ball
- PO - Putout
- TC - Total chances
- TP - Triple play
- WP - Wild pitch
Other terminology
- Ball
- Strike
- Strike zone
References
- sabermetrics
- Official Baseball Rules, Section 10 - Scoring from http://www.mlb.com
- Find statistics for all of major league history at http://www.Baseball-Reference.com/
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Baseball statistics."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Statistics is a branch of applied mathematics which includes the planning, summarizing, and interpreting of uncertain observations. Because the aim of statistics is to produce the "best" information from available data, some authors make statistics a branch of decision theory. As a model of randomness or ignorance, probability theory plays a critical role in the development of statistical theory.
The word statistics comes from the modern Latin phrase statisticum collegium (lecture about state affairs), from which came the Italian word statista, which means "statesman" or "politician" (compare to status) and the German Statistik, originally designating the analysis of data about the state. It acquired the meaning of the collection and classification of data generally in the early nineteenth century.
We describe our knowledge (and ignorance) mathematically and attempt to learn more from whatever we can observe. This requires us to
In some forms of descriptive statistics, notably data mining, the second and third of these steps become so prominent that the first step (planning) appears to become less important. In these disciplines, data often are collected outside the control of the person doing the analysis, and the result of the analysis may be more an operational model than a consensus report about the world.
- plan our observations to control their variability (experiment design),
- summarize a collection of observations to feature their commonality by suppressing details (descriptive statistics), and
- reach consensus about what the observations tell us about the world we observe (statistical inference).
The probability of an event is often defined as a number between one and zero rather than a percentage. In reality however there is virtually nothing that has a probability of 1 or 0. You could say that the sun will certainly rise in the morning, but what if an extremely unlikely event destroys the sun? What if there is a nuclear war and the sky is covered in ash and smoke?
We often round the probability of such things up or down because they are so likely or unlikely to occur, that it's easier to recognise them as a probability of one or zero.
However, this can often lead to misunderstandings and dangerous behaviour, because people are unable to distinguish between, e.g., a probability of 10-4 and a probability of 10-9, despite the very practical difference between them. If you expect to cross the road about 105 or 106 times in your life, then reducing your risk per road crossing to 10-9 will make you safe for your whole life, while a risk per road crossing of 10-4 will make it very likely that you will have an accident, despite the intuitive feeling that 0.01% is a very small risk.
Some sciences use applied statistics so extensively that they have specialized terminology. These disciplines include:
Statistics form a key basis tool in business and manufacturing as well. It is used to understand measurement systems variability, control processes (as in "statistical process control" or SPC), for summarizing data, and to make data-driven decisions. In these roles it is a key tool, and perhaps the only reliable tool.
- Biostatistics
- Business statistics
- Economic statistics
- Engineering statistics
- Population statistics
- Psychological statistics
- Social statistics (for all the social sciences)
- Process analysis and Chemometrics (for analysis of data from analytical chemistry and chemical engineering)
Links to observable statistical phenomena are collected at statistical phenomena
National Statistical Services
- Canada: Statistics Canada
- France: National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies
- Greece: National Statistical Service of Greece
- India: Indian Statistical Institute
- New Zealand: Statistics New Zealand
- USA: American Statistical Association
See also
Linear regression--analysis of variance (ANOVA) -- multivariate statistics -- extreme value theory -- list of statisticians -- list of statistical topics -- machine learning
External links
- The R Project for Statistical Computing
- The Probability Web
- Virtual Laboratories in Probability and Statistics
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Statistics."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| stat. | English | Statistics | Statistics |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Accounts | Noun: accounts, accompts; commercial arithmetic, monetary arithmetic; statistics; (numeration); money matters, finance, budget, bill, score, reckoning, account. |
Chance 2 | Statistics, theory of Probabilities, theory of Chances; bookmaking; assurance; speculation, gaming. |
List | Account; bill, bill of costs; terrier; tally, listing, itemization; atlas; book, ledger; catalogue raisonne; tableau; invoice, bill of lading; prospectus; bill of fare, menu, carte; score, census, statistics, returns. |
Numeration | Noun: numeration; numbering; Verb: pagination; tale, recension, enumeration, summation, reckoning, computation, supputation; calculation, calculus; algorithm, algorism, rhabdology, dactylonomy; measurement; statistics. |
Record | Archive, scroll, state paper, return, blue book; statistics; compte rendu; Acts of, Transactions of, Proceedings of; Hansard's Debates; chronicle,annals, legend; history, biography; Congressional Records. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | You know, you, uh, oughta take a look at the statistics on suicide some time (Double Indemnity; writing credit: James M. Cain; Billy Wilder) Statistics show that there are more women in the world than anything else (Gilda; writing credit: Jo Eisinger; E.A. Ellington) Yes, well, I've worked out a few statistics of my own. $15,000,000,000 in gold bullion weighs 10,500 tons (Goldfinger; writing credit: Richard Maibaum) If local authorities don't send us the statistics that we ask for, than government figures will be a nonsense (Yes, Minister; writing credit: Semyon Lungin) | |
Clever | There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. (references; author: Mark Twain) 43% of all statistics are worthless. (references; author: unknown) Consumers are statistics, customers are people. (references; author: unknown) 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot. (references; author: unknown) Statistics is like a bikini: What is revealed is suggestive, but what is concealed is vital. (references; author: unknown) | |
Tongue Twisters | Strange strategic statistics. (references; author: unknown) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Measuring "Snook" caught in Torrecillas Lagoon during NMFS Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey. Credit: Fisheries. |  | Inviting the undertaker. Statistics prove that night driving is far more dangerous ... Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Andrew Lang | He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts -- for support rather than for illumination. |
Fletcher Knebel | It is now proved beyond doubt that smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics. |
Henry Clay | Statistics are no substitute for judgment. |
Stanley Marcus | Consumers are statistics. Customers are people. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Convention of December 31, 1913, regarding the unification of commercial statistics. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | But to proceed with my statistics. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | It also gathers and analyzes statistics about diabetes. (references) | |
Sometimes people use statistics to try to figure out their chances of being cured. (references) | ||
Seeking information about prognosis and statistics can help some people reduce their fears. (references) | ||
Business | Before 1995 such statistics was not available. (references) | |
Although dated, these statistics still appear to be accurate. (references) | ||
No statistics are available on market share among third country suppliers. (references) | ||
Children | Taiwan | In 2000 according to MOI statistics, there were 5,211 cases of child abuse. (references) |
Indonesia | An estimated 400,000 children are brought to court annually, according to UNICEF statistics. (references) | |
Indonesia | Precise statistics on the number of persons with disabilities in the country are not available. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Macau | No Vietnamese refugees were repatriated in 1997 or 1998, the last period for which statistics were available. (references) |
China | Other Muslims make the trip to Mecca via neighboring countries, especially Pakistan, and may not be counted in government statistics. (references) | |
Czech Republic | By the first half of 1997 (latest available statistics), a total of 851 Slovaks had been expelled administratively or judicially by the authorities. (references) | |
Economic History | Finland | Note: No statistics available. (references) |
Philippines | Other statistics are unofficial estimates. (references) | |
Costa Rica | Based on GOCR statistics for 1999 and 2000. (references) | |
Human Rights | Bulgaria | No new statistics were available. (references) |
Pakistan | More recent statistics are unavailable. (references) | |
Angola | Updated statistics were not available by year's end. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Australia | Indigenous people believed that police systematically mistreat them; however, there are no government statistics to confirm this perception. (references) |
Nicaragua | Critics of government policy cited extremely high unemployment rates, but calculation of reliable employment statistics was complicated because most of the working indigenous population on the Atlantic coast is engaged in subsistence fishing, farming, and mining. (references) | |
Australia | Employed indigenous people were nearly 3 times more likely than nonindigenous people to be working as laborers and related workers and only half as likely to be employed as managers and administrators or in professional occupations, according to the latest available (1998) figures from the Bureau of Statistics. (references) | |
Minorities | Albania | No recent official statistics exist regarding the size of the various ethnic communities. (references) |
Sweden | Violent incidents with racial overtones have averaged approximately 100 per year, although no official statistics are kept. (references) | |
Lebanon | Drug addiction, prostitution, and crime reportedly are increasing in the camps, although reliable statistics are not available. (references) | |
Political Economy | KUWAIT | IMF statistics suggest the 2000/2001 fiscal surplus reached 37 percent of GDP. (references) |
Iraq | Reliable economic statistics are unavailable; however, estimates for GDP are approximately $57 billion. (references) | |
Sudan | Women Domestic violence against women continued to be a problem, although, because reliable statistics do not exist, the extent is unknown. (references) | |
Political Rights | Brazil | The number of female candidates for office in the 1998 national elections roughly doubled, compared with the number in 1994, according to statistics released by the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE). (references) |
Trade | Luxembourg | This strong growth trend is expected to be reflected in 2001 statistics. (references) |
Thailand | Import-export statistics and import tax rates can be accessed from the customs website at www.customs.go.th. (references) | |
Women | Albania | Later statistics were not available. (references) |
United Arab Emirates | No accurate statistics are available. (references) | |
Tanzania | No updated statistics were available at year's end. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Lithuania | Since 2000 the Government has collected statistics on deported persons. (references) |
Paraguay | National Census statistics report on the labor force as those aged 10 or older. (references) | |
Romania | No separate Government or IOM statistics exist for children trafficked to other countries. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | DULLARD, n. A member of the reigning dynasty in letters and life. The Dullards came in with Adam, and being both numerous and sturdy have overrun the habitable world. The secret of their power is their insensibility to blows; tickle them with a bludgeon and they laugh with a platitude. The Dullards came originally from Boeotia, whence they were driven by stress of starvation, their dullness having blighted the crops. For some centuries they infested Philistia, and many of them are called Philistines to this day. In the turbulent times of the Crusades they withdrew thence and gradually overspread all Europe, occupying most of the high places in politics, art, literature, science and theology. Since a detachment of Dullards came over with the Pilgrims in the Mayflower and made a favorable report of the country, their increase by birth, immigration, and conversion has been rapid and steady. According to the most trustworthy statistics the number of adult Dullards in the United States is but little short of thirty millions, including the statisticians. The intellectual centre of the race is somewhere about Peoria, Illinois, but the New England Dullard is the most shockingly moral. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Our economy is measured in numbers and statistics, and it's very important. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Statistics" is generally used as a noun (common) -- approximately 99.88% of the time. "Statistics" is used about 3,210 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (common) | 99.88% | 3,206 | 2,951 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.06% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Noun (plural) | 0.06% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 3,210 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "statistics": bureau of vital statistics ♦ correlational statistics ♦ coverage of accidents statistics ♦ demographic statistics ♦ Dixon's statistics ♦ Fermi statistics ♦ harmonised nomenclature for the foreign trade statistics of the EEC countries ♦ harmonized nomenclature for the foreign trade statistics of the EEC countries ♦ hidden statistics ♦ mathematics and statistics ♦ Maxwellian statistics ♦ National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.) ♦ neutrosophic statistics ♦ Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics ♦ nonparametric statistics ♦ O statistics ♦ order statistics ♦ population statistics ♦ rank order statistics ♦ Statistics [Publication Type] ♦ statistics messages ♦ test statistics ♦ text statistics ♦ trimmed statistics ♦ U statistics ♦ vital statistics ♦ vital statistics teacher. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "statistics": statistics-and-dice, statistics-function, statistics-gathering. | |
Ending with "statistics": g-statistics, k-statistics, L-statistics, O-statistics, p-statistics, t-statistics. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "statistics"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | statistikë, të dhëna statistikore. (various references) | |
Arabic | إحصا (calculation), تعداد إحصائية, علم الإحصاء (statics), إحصائيات (decile). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | статистика. (various references) | |
Chinese | 統計學 , 統計 , 统计 (statistic, statistical). (various references) | |
Czech | statistika. (various references) | |
Danish | statistiske indeks (statistical index). (various references) | |
Dutch | statistiek. (various references) | |
Esperanto | statistiko. (various references) | |
Farsi | فن امارگری , امارشناسی , امار (Census), احصاءیه (Census). (various references) | |
Finnish | tilastotiede, tilasto. (various references) | |
French | statistique (statistical), statistiques. (various references) | |
German | Statistik (stat, statistic). (various references) | |
Greek | στατιστική (statistical index). (various references) | |
Hebrew | סטטיסטיק". (various references) | |
Hungarian | statisztika, statisztikai adatok (data, returns, statistical figures). (various references) | |
Indonesian | perangkaan, angka-angka (figures, notation, number). (various references) | |
Italian | statistica. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 統計 , 統計学 , 統計 (a scatter, dispersion, scattering), スケ番 (bar, energy, free-standing bar, grandstand play, grandstanding, leader of a female gang, road reflector, scoop, scope, scoping, scopophilia, score, scoreboard, scorebook, scorecard, scorer, scoring position, Scotch, Scotch egg, Scotch tape, Scotch terrier, Scotch tweed, Scotch whiskey, Scotland, Scotland Yard, scotophobin, Scott, shovel, Skopolamin, skunk, spade, squall, squawker, stability, stabilizer, staccato, stack, stacking permanent wave, stack-object, stack-pointer, stackware, stadium, stadium jumper, staff, stag film, stag party, stagflation, Stalinism, stamina, stamp, stamp collection, stance, stand, standard, standard number, standards, standby, standby passenger, stand-in, standing start, standing wave, standoff, standpoint, stand-up collar, Stanford, stanza, star, star guide, star king, star player, star sapphire, star system, Star Trek, Star Wars, Star Watching, starch, stardom, stardust, staring lineup, starlet, starlight, Stars and Stripes, start, start dash, start line, starter, starting block, starting member, starting pitcher, static, statue, Sterling block, Sterling engine, stout, stub, studio, studless tire, study, stuff, stuffed egg, stun, stun gun, stunt car, stunt man, style, style file, stylebook, styling, stylish, stylist, stylus, stymie). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | スタティスティックス , とうけいがく, とうけい (cockfight, doctor, east longitude, fighting cock). (various references) | |
Korean | 통계 (statistic, statistical). (various references) | |
Manx | staydraa, staddyssaght. (various references) | |
Papiamen | statistik. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | atisticsstay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | estatística (statistic). (various references) | |
Romanian | statisticã (return). (various references) | |
Russian | статистические данные, статистика. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | statistika. (various references) | |
Spanish | estadística (return, statistic). (various references) | |
Swedish | statistik. (various references) | |
Turkish | istatistik bilimi (statistic), istatistik (statistic). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | статистика (statistic). (various references) | |
Welsh | ystadegau. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Italian | 900-Modern | statista. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words ending with "statistics": biostatistics. (additional references) | |
| |
"Statistics" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: satisfics, satistic, stastistics, statictic, statistice, statistik. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "statistics" (pronounced stuti"stiks) |
| 6 | -i" s t i k s | ballistics, characteristics, Criminalistics, linguistics, logistics, mystics. |
| 5 | -s t i k s | acoustics, diagnostics, domestics, gymnastics, onomastics, plastics, thermoplastics. |
| 4 | -t i k s | acrobatics, aerobatics, aeronautics, aesthetics, analytics, anesthetics, antibiotics, antics, asthmatics, astronautics, athletics, attics, automatics, batiks, charismatics, cosmetics, critics, diabetics, diuretics, exotics, fanatics, genetics, geopolitics, hypnotics, informatics, kinetics, Magnetics, mathematics, narcotics, numismatics, optics, orthodontics, phonetics, prosthetics, robotics, romantics, semantics, semiotics, skeptics, synthetics, systematics, tactics, therapeutics. |
| 3 | -i k s | academics, acrylics, aerobics, aerodynamics, affix, alcoholics, analgesics, anorexics, apparatchiks, appendix, astrophysics, atmospherics, avionics, basics, beatniks, bioethics, biologics, biophysics, bishoprics, calisthenics, Calix, calyx, catholics, ceramics, cervix, civics, classics, clerics, clinics, comics, conics, cynics, demographics, dynamics, eccentrics, econometrics, economics, electrics, electrodynamics, electronics, epics, epidemics, ergonomics, ethics, ethnics, eugenics, fabrics, forensics, generics, geometrics, geriatrics, gimmicks, graphics, harmonics, helix, hemodynamics, heroics, hieroglyphics, histrionics, hydraulics, hysterics, ionics, italics, kibbutzniks, limericks, lyrics, macroeconomics, matrix, mavericks, mechanics, medics, metaphysics, metrics, microeconomics, microelectronics, micrographics, mimics, mnemonics, mosaics, Nucleonics, obstetrics, onyx, oryx, panics, paramedics, Pediatrics, Phenix, Phoenix, phonics, photovoltaics, physics, polemics, prefix, psychics, publics, pyrotechnics, refuseniks, relics, reprographics, republics, sonics, specifics, sputniks, stoics, suffix, Technics, tectonics, theatrics, tonics, topics, toxics, tropics, workaholics. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-i-i-s-s-s-t-t-t" | |
-1 letter: atticists, statistic. | |
-2 letters: atticist, statists. | |
-3 letters: statics, statist. | |
-4 letters: assist, attics, cassis, scatts, stasis, static. | |
-5 letters: attic, casts, cists, satis, scats, scatt, stats, tacit, tacts, titis. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-i-i-s-s-s-t-t-t" | |
+3 letters: biostatistics, statisticians. | |
+5 letters: abstractionists, pantisocratists. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Familiar 8. Quotations: Historic | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Quotations: Speeches 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Translations: Ancient | 17. Abbreviations 18. Acronyms 19. Derivations 20. Rhymes | 21. Anagrams 22. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
