DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

Our most general statistical goal is to describe our data set. The simplest method is to just present all the crude data. For small data sets, the actual measurements can be presented. For larger amounts of data, a graph or statistical plot of the data can be helpful. One can frequently see trends and groupings in a picture that are very difficult to describe numerically. It is often suggested that before any mathematical method is applied to data analysis, a graphic plot be produced. If the data do not look "right" to the naked eye, a wise statistical analyst will be very careful to avoid misleading results. The choice of the correct format for the statistical plot can be an art form, and special data manipulation computer programs can be useful to search for visual clues in a data set.