Descriptive Statistics

Abstract

This course is designed for the first-year preparatory students of the ESSAT School. It provides a comprehensive introduction to Descriptive Statistics, Bivariate Statistics, and Combinatorial Analysis. In the first part, we review the fundamental concepts of Descriptive Statistics: types of variables, organization and representation of data, numerical measures such as mean, median, mode, and dispersion. We also introduce graphical representations and cumulative distributions to help students describe and interpret datasets. In the second part, we extend the study to Bivariate Descriptive Statistics. Here, we learn how to organize and represent data involving two variables, study their possible dependence or independence, and analyze their relationship. We introduce the linear correlation coencient, the regression line, and we also consider nonlinear relationships through exponential and power functions. The main objective is to understand how to study the relation between two variables and how to predict the value of one variable given the value of the other. In the final part, we present the basics of Combinatorial Analysis: rules of counting, permutations, arrangements, and combinations. These concepts prepare students to approach probability and advanced topics in Statistics with confidence. Overall, the purpose of this course is to give students the necessary tools to summarize data effectively, to analyze the dependence between two variables, and to master essential counting techniques that are the foundation of probability theory.