Understanding Statistical Terms and Variables for Data Analysis

In summary, the conversation is a request for help understanding a table of statistical data. The questions revolve around the meaning of the numbers in the table and how they were generated. The person suggests looking for a user's manual for the software that produced the table and also requests for the thread to be moved to the appropriate homework section.
  • #1
corinnagirl
1
0
Hello guys,

can you explain something to me please? :confused:
Hmm.. looking for a way to insert an image. Well, just the link then: http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/1579/stuffjf8.png

The blurry variables-things on the left are different input parameters, these are divided into 4 groups (top 1-4). Now I wonder what all the numbers mean. This is what I think:

Mean: the mean of all values inside a group
Standard deviation: deviation from mean
Mean variance: tricky. Under mean-variance I can only find strange financial explanations, under 'variance': how possible values are spread out around an expected value

Right, but what does that mean? Can I say with these information how the variables are represented within a group? Can I say something about the quality of this representation and if so, what would be a good representation?:frown: If I'm totally wrong, what can I actually do with this? :cry::cry::cry:

thanks a lot,

corinnagirl
 
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  • #2
Is your table an output from a statistical software? If it is, you might try to find a user's manual and see if it has similar examples.

Can you explain the process behind the table? How were these numbers generated? For what purpose?

Knowing very little about the specifics, your mean and std. dev. definitions seem to be correct in a general sense. I cannot answer what mean var. is (nor any of your further questions) without knowing more about your objective (the specifics).
 
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  • #3
EnumaElish said:
Is your table an output from a statistical software? If it is, you might try to find a user's manual and see if it has similar examples.
Er, quoting myself... What I meant was, do you know which statistical software has generated this output? And the reason I am asking this is that different software packages may name things differently. It may be helpful for me to know which software produced this output.

As well, PF posting guidelines require that:

if your problem is related to undergrad material, it should be under the relevant homework section.

per the above statement please request your thread to be moved to the relevant homework section.
 

FAQ: Understanding Statistical Terms and Variables for Data Analysis

What is the difference between mean, median, and mode?

The mean is the average of a set of numbers, calculated by adding all the numbers and dividing by the total number of numbers. The median is the middle number in a set of numbers when they are arranged in order. The mode is the number that appears most frequently in a set of numbers.

What is standard deviation?

Standard deviation is a measure of how spread out the numbers in a dataset are. It is calculated by finding the square root of the variance, which is the average of the squared differences from the mean.

What is a p-value?

A p-value is a statistical measure that helps determine the significance of a result. It represents the probability of obtaining a result at least as extreme as the one observed, assuming the null hypothesis is true. A lower p-value indicates stronger evidence against the null hypothesis.

What is a confidence interval?

A confidence interval is a range of values that is likely to contain the true value of a population parameter with a certain level of confidence. For example, a 95% confidence interval for the mean would mean that if the study was repeated 100 times, 95 of those intervals would contain the true population mean.

What is the difference between correlation and causation?

Correlation refers to a relationship between two variables, where a change in one variable may be associated with a change in the other variable. Causation, on the other hand, means that one variable directly causes a change in another variable. Correlation does not necessarily imply causation, as there may be other factors at play.

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