statistics

Definition

A discipline, principally within applied mathematics, concerned with the systematic study of the collection, presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data.

Etymology

From German Statistik, from New Latin statisticum (“of the state”) and Italian statista (“statesman, politician”), compare English statist. Statistik introduced by Gottfried Achenwall (1749), originally designated the analysis of data about the state.

Example Sentences

• "Statistics is the only mathematical field required for many social sciences."
• "As for statistics, the foundations include, on any interpretation of which I have ever heard, the foundations of probability, as controversial a subject as one could name. As in other sciences, controversies over the foundations of statistics reflect themselves to some extent in everyday practice, nut not nearly so catastrophically as one might imagine.[…]It is hard to judge, however, to what extent the relative calm of modern statistics is due to its domination by a vigorous school relatively well agreed within itself about the foundations."
• "2004, David C. LeBlanc, Statistics: Concepts and Applications for Science, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, page 61, The application of statistics in the process of science can be divided into three parts: (1) obtaining data (experiment and sampling design), (2) summarizing and describing data (exploratory data analysis, descriptive statistics), and (3) using data from samples and experiments to make estimates and test competing hypotheses about the universe (inferential statistics)."