Periodically we are counted in the population census taken by the federal government. School children are always concerned about their scholastic averages. When planning vacations we are interested in data provided by the weather bureau. We try to predict the outcome of elections by analyzing the results of political polls that have been taken. Business people conduct surveys to find out what products are most frequently sought by consumers.
Sports fans compare batting averages, wins and losses of various teams.
Although our list could continue indefinitely, it is sufficient to say that we encounter statistics in many facets of our lives, and all school children should be introduced to basic statistical terms and concepts. In this unit of study we will try to improve the students understanding of the elementary topics included in statistics. The unit will clearly define the arithmetic mean, the median, the mode and the range of a group of numbers. Methods for computing these measures of central tendency will be discussed. Frequency tables, histograms and frequency polygons will be explained and constructed.