2 answers
Abigail
Student
Stanford, California
2
Questions
Asked
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What does the class mathematical statistics consist of?
Mathematical statistics is the capstone of the statistics major at Grand Valley State University, I've asked some professors and students in the class what you learn about but they aren't able to accurately describe the class they just say it's really hard and complicated. I'm just curious to what you learn in class and how the statistics applies to math, #statistics
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2 answers
Kathryn Mier
Statistician at NOAA
12
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Kathryn’s Answer
Mathematical statistics is the mathematical theory behind basic statistical concepts. It includes probablility theory which statistics is based on. This will help you understand why statistical tests are valid.
Dan Loschiavo
Data Risk Oversight
1
Answer
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Updated
Dan’s Answer
Hi Abigail,
What a great question! It's true that certain concepts in statistics can be complex, but in simple terms it is just the science of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. One of the keys is understanding which concepts or formulas to use when analyzing a full population of a dataset versus analyzing just a small sample of data from a large dataset.
You will also learn the difference between Descriptive and Inferential Statistics. Descriptive Stats help describe the general characteristics of your dataset. This includes measures you may have already heard of, including Mean, Median, Mode, Range, Variance, Standard Deviation, and Distribution. Inferential Stats help you derive educated conclusions about your data and include concepts that are a bit more complex, such as Hypothesis Testing, Confidence Intervals, and P-Values (the probability that your results occurred strictly by chance).
One final key concept you will learn is how to determine if a relationship exists between two variables, and if that relationship is strong or weak. Stat concepts, such as correlation, causation, and regression testing, can be used to help determine the nature of those relationships.
One thing I definitely want to share is that I found my first intro to stats to be quite challenging. It did not click the first time around. But, once I established a work group with a few classmates, and consistently asked for real-life examples of how these concepts could be applied, then it became easier to absorb and understand. Hope you found this helpful!
What a great question! It's true that certain concepts in statistics can be complex, but in simple terms it is just the science of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. One of the keys is understanding which concepts or formulas to use when analyzing a full population of a dataset versus analyzing just a small sample of data from a large dataset.
You will also learn the difference between Descriptive and Inferential Statistics. Descriptive Stats help describe the general characteristics of your dataset. This includes measures you may have already heard of, including Mean, Median, Mode, Range, Variance, Standard Deviation, and Distribution. Inferential Stats help you derive educated conclusions about your data and include concepts that are a bit more complex, such as Hypothesis Testing, Confidence Intervals, and P-Values (the probability that your results occurred strictly by chance).
One final key concept you will learn is how to determine if a relationship exists between two variables, and if that relationship is strong or weak. Stat concepts, such as correlation, causation, and regression testing, can be used to help determine the nature of those relationships.
One thing I definitely want to share is that I found my first intro to stats to be quite challenging. It did not click the first time around. But, once I established a work group with a few classmates, and consistently asked for real-life examples of how these concepts could be applied, then it became easier to absorb and understand. Hope you found this helpful!