Statistics, characteristics of statistics, advantages of statistics, disadvantages of statistics

2.  1.A branch of mathematics dealing with the
collection, analysis, interpretation and
presentation of masses of numerical data.
 2.A collection of quantitative data
Definition

3. Scope of statistics
1. Statistics and planning: Statistics in indispensable into
planning in the modern age which is termed as “the age
of planning”. Almost all over the world the govt. are re-
storing to planning for economic development.
2. Statistics and economics: Statistical data and techniques
of statistical analysis have to immensely useful involving
economical problem. Such as wages, price, time series
analysis, demand analysis.
3. Statistics and business: Statistics is an irresponsible
tool of production control. Business executive are
relying more and more on statistical techniques for
studying the much and desire of the valued customers.

4. 4. Statistics and industry: In industry statistics is widely used
inequality control. In production engineering to find out
whether the product is confirming to the specifications or not.
Statistical tools, such as inspection plan, control chart etc.
5. Statistics and mathematics: Statistics are intimately
related recent advancements in statistical technique are the
outcome of wide applications of mathematics.
6. Statistics and modern science: In medical science the
statistical tools for collection, presentation and analysis of
observed facts relating to causes and incidence of dieses and
the result of application various drugs and medicine are of
great importance.

5. 7. Statistics, psychology and education: In education and
physiology statistics has found wide application such as,
determining or to determine the reliability and validity to a
test, factor analysis etc.
8. Statistics and war: In war the theory of decision
function can be a great assistance to the military and
personal to plan “maximum destruction with minimum effort.”
9. In banking: it play an important role in banking. The
banks make use of statistics for a number of purposes. The
banks work on the principle that all the people who deposit
their money with the banks do not withdraw it at the same
time. The bankers use statistical approaches based on
probability to estimate the numbers of depositors and
their claims for a certain day.

6. 10. In State Management (Administration):Statistics is
essential for a country. Different policies of the government
are based on statistics. Statistical data are now widely used in
taking all administrative decisions. it helps in estimating the
expected expenditures and revenue from different sources.
So statistics are the eyes of administration of the state.
11. In Accounting and Auditing: accounting is impossible
without exactness. The correction of the values of current
asserts is made on the basis of the purchasing power of money
or the current value of it. In auditing sampling techniques are
commonly used. An auditor determines the sample size of the
book to be audited on the basis of error.

7. 12. In Natural and Social Sciences: it plays a vital role in
almost all the natural and social sciences. Statistical methods
are commonly used for analyzing the experiments results,
testing their significance in Biology, Physics, Chemistry,
Mathematics, Meteorology, Research chambers of commerce,
Sociology, Business, Public Administration, Communication and
Information Technology etc…
13. In Astronomy: Astronomy is one of the oldest branches
of statistical study; it deals with the measurement of
distance, sizes, masses and densities of heavenly bodies by
means of observations. During these measurements errors are
unavoidable so most probable measurements are founded by
using statistical methods.

8. 15.Statistics and Government: The functions of a government
are more varied and complex. Various depts. in the state are
required to collect and record statistical data in a systematic
manner for an effective administration. Data pertaining to
various fields namely population, natural resources, production
both agricultural and industrial, finance, trade, exports and
imports etc are the most fundamental requirements of the
state for its administration.
14. Statistics and Sociology: Sociology is one of the social
sciences aiming to discover the basic structure of human
society, to identify the main forces that hold groups together
. It highlights and illuminates aspects of social life that
otherwise might be only obscurely recognized and understood.
The sociologist may be called upon for help with a special
problem such as social conflict, urban plight or the war on
poverty or crimes.

9. Functions of statistics
1.To Present Facts in Definite Form: we can represent the
things in their true form with the help of figures. Without
a statistical study, our ideas would be vague and indefinite.
The facts are to be given in a definite form. If the results
are given in numbers, then they are more convincing than if
the results are expressed on the basis of quality.
2. Precision to the Facts: The statistics are presented in a
definite form so they also help in condensing the data into
important figures. So statistical methods present meaningful
information. In other words statistics helps in simplifying
complex data to simple-to make them understandable.

10. 3. Formulation and Testing of Hypothesis: These statistical
methods help us in formulating and testing the hypothesis or a
new theory. With the help of statistical techniques, we can
know the effect of imposing tax on the exports of tea on the
consumption of tea in other countries. The other example
could be to study whether credit squeeze is effective in
checking inflation or not.
4. Forecasting: Statistics is not only concerned with the
above functions, but it also predicts the future course of
action of the phenomena. We can make future policies on the
basis of estimates made with the help of Statistics. We can
predict the demand for goods in 2005 if we know the
population in 2004 on the basis of growth rate of population in
past. The statistics help in shaping future policies.

11. 5. Policy Making: With help of statistics we can frame
favourable policies. How much food is required to be imported
in 2007? It depends on the food-production in 2007 and the
demand for food in 2007. Without knowing these factors we
cannot estimate the amount of imports. On the basis of
forecast the government forms the policies about food grains,
housing etc. But if the forecasting is not correct, then the
whole set up will be affected.
6. It Enlarges Knowledge: Whipple rightly remarks that
“Statistics enables one to enlarge his horizon”. So when a
person goes through various procedures of statistics, it widens
his knowledge pattern. It also widens his thinking and
reasoning power. It also helps him to reach to a rational
conclusion.
8.

12. 7.To Measure Uuncertainty: Future is uncertain, but
statistics help the various authorities in all the phenomenon of
the world to make correct estimation by taking and analyzing
the various data of the part. So the uncertainty could be
decreased. As we have to make a forecast we have also to
create trend behaviors of the past, for which we use
techniques like regression, interpolation and time series
analysis.
8. Reduces the Complexity of data: Statistics simplifies the
complexity of data. The raw data are unintelligible. We make
them simple and intelligible by using different statistical
measures. Some such commonly used measures are graphs,
averages, dispersions, skew ness, kurtosis, correlation and
regression etc. These measures help in interpretation and
drawing inferences. Therefore, statistics enables to enlarge
the horizon of one's knowledge.

13. 9. Derives valid inferences : Statistical methods mainly aim
at deriving inferences from an enquiry. Statistical techniques
are often used by scholars planners and scientists to evaluate
different projects. These techniques are also used to draw
inferences regarding population parameters on the basis of
sample information.
10. Simplification of Complex Facts: The foremost purpose
of the statistics is to simplify huge collection of numerical
data. It is beyond the reach of human mind to remember
and recollect the huge facts and figures. Statistical
method makes it possible to understand the whole in the
short span of time and in a better way.

14. 11. Relationship between Facts: Statistical methods are used
to investigate the cause and effect relationship between two
or more facts. The relationship between demand and supply,
money-supply and price level can be best understood with the
help of statistical methods.
12. Relationship between Facts: Statistical methods are used
to investigate the cause and effect relationship between two
or more facts. The relationship between demand and supply,
money-supply and price level can be best understood with the
help of statistical methods.
13. To Indicate Trend Behaviour: Statistics helps to indicate
trend behaviour certain fields of enquiry. The statistical
techniques like Analysis of Time Series Extrapolation etc. are
highly used to know the trend behaviour of the enquiry in
question.

15. 14. Classification of Data: Classification refers to a
process of splitting up the data into certain parts which
helps in the matters of comparison and interpretation of
the various features of the data. This is done by the
various improved techniques statistics.
15.To Draw Rational Conclusion: In various fields of
uncertainty like business and commerce, it is very much
necessary to draw rational conclusions on the basis of facts
collected and analyzed. For this, the mind of the decision
maker should be free from any bias and prejudices.

16. Characteristics of
statistics
1.Statistics should be numerically expressed. For
example the statement rajan is of height 6' 1"
makes the fact clear and easily understandable.
2. Statistics are aggregates of facts. Statistics means
the facts pertaining to a group of individuals or
individual item.
3. Statistics are affected to a market extent by a
multiplicity of causes. There are a variety of forces
or factors operating on the facts and figures in an
aggregate. The influence of any particular factor
cannot be isolated.

17. 7.It should be collected for a pre-determined purpose . Any
data collected without a pre-determined purpose may not
be appropriate and useful for a purpose decided later on
the vehicles passing by him, it will not amount to statistics
for that there is no purpose behind the collection of such
data.
4. Statistics must be collected in a systematic manner for a
predetermined purpose. Determination of the main
purpose or objectives of any scientific study is the first
and the most important step which in turn paves way for
other operations to
follow.
5. Statistics are enumerated or estimated according to
reasonable standards of accuracy.
6. Statistics should be placed in relation to each other.

18. Advantages of statistics
• They are familiar to library staff and managers
• They can be analyzed relatively quickly
• Information is collected in a standardized way
• They are usually straightforward to analyze
• They overcome the difficulties of encouraging
participation by users

19. • They are often required and respected by decision-makers
within the institution and beyond eg funders, government
• They support qualitative data obtained from
questionnaires, interviews etc with 'hard facts'
• They are useful for benchmarking purposes.
•Systematic samples are relatively easy to construct,
execute, compare and understand. This is particularly
important for studies or surveys that operate with tight
budget constraints.
•A systematic method also provides researchers and
statisticians with a degree of control and sense of process.

20. •Clustered selection, a phenomenon where randomly chosen
samples are uncommonly close together in a population, is
eliminated in systematic sampling.
•Perhaps the greatest strength of a systematic approach is
its low risk factor. The primary potential disadvantages of
the system carry a distinctly low probability of contaminating
the data.
• Statistics is used to determine validity, reliability, and
significance depending on what is used for in the market.
• It can be used to collect wide range of information-
attitudes, values, beliefs, past behaviors etc
•There is a wealth of information because of standardized
collection of data through statistical survey performed by
the government, corporations, businesses, individuals etc.

21. Disadvantages of statistics
• They are not an appropriate method to
understand issues in great depth and identify ways
to solve problems highlighted
• they are not suitable to evaluate user opinions,
needs or satisfaction with services
• It may be time-consuming to arrange methods of
data collection eg contacting vendors, liaising with
IT departments

22. •The systematic method assumes that the size of the
population is available or can be reasonably approximated.
•A population needs to exhibit a natural degree of randomness
along the chosen metric. If the population has a type of
standardized pattern, the risk of accidentally choosing very
common cases is more apparent.
•There is a greater risk of data manipulation with systematic
sampling because researchers might be able to construct
their systems to increase the likelihood of achieving a
targeted outcome rather than letting the random data
produce a representative answer. Any resulting statistics
could not be trusted.

23. Limitations of statistics
 The statistical methods don’t study the nature of
phenomenon which cannot be expressed in
quantitative terms.
 When even phenomena happen, that is due to many
causes, but all these causes can not be expressed in
terms of data. So we cannot reach at the correct
conclusion.
 It is liable to be miscued. So we can say that we can
check the data and procedures of its approaching to
conclusions. As it is a delicate science and can be
easily misused by an unscrupulous person.

24. •In this subject we use so many methods to find a single
result. Variation can be found by quartile deviation, mean
deviation or standard deviations and results vary in each case.
• Statistical results are not always beyond doubt because
they are unable to give complete solution to a problem, the
result must be taken and used with much wisdom.
•Statistics does not deal with isolated measurement
•Statistics deals with only quantitative characteristics
•Statistics laws are true on average. Statistics are
aggregates of facts. So single observation is not a statistics,
it deals with groups and aggregates only.

25. •Statistical methods are best applicable on quantitative data.
•Statistical cannot be applied to heterogeneous data.
•It sufficient care is not exercised in collecting, analyzing
and
interpretation the data, statistical results might be
misleading.
•Only a person who has an expert knowledge of statistics can
handle
statistical data efficiently.
•Some errors are possible in statistical decisions. Particularly
the inferential statistics involves certain errors. We do not
know whether an error has been committed or not.