Even though you may not have realized it, you probably have made some statistical statements in your everyday conversation or thinking. The two statements at the beginning illustrate some of these points. In making predictions, Statistics uses the companion subject of Probability, which models chance mathematically and enables calculations of chance in complicated cases. Today, statistics has become an important tool in the work of many academic disciplines such as medicine, psychology, education, sociology, engineering and physics, just to name a few.
Statistics is also important in many aspects of society such as business, industry and government.
Because of the increasing use of statistics in so many areas of our lives, it has become very desirable to understand and practise statistical thinking. This is important even if you do not use statistical methods directly. The University of Melbourne 1994-1999. Disclaimer and Copyright Information.