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  1. Introduction
  2. Graphing Distributions

  3. Summarizing Distributions
    1. Contents
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    2. Central Tendency
      Standard         Video
    3. What is Central Tendency
      Standard         Video
    4. Measures of Central Tendency
      Standard         Video
    5. Balance Scale Simulation
      Standard         Video
    6. Absolute Differences Simulation
      Standard
    7. Squared Differences Simulation
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    8. Median and Mean
      Standard         Video
    9. Mean and Median Demo
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    10. Additional Measures
      Standard         Video
    11. Comparing Measures
      Standard         Video
    12. Variability
      Standard         Video
    13. Measures of Variability
      Standard         Video
    14. Variability Demo
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    15. Estimating Variance Simulation
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    16. Shapes of Distributions
      Standard         Video
    17. Comparing Distributions Demo
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    18. Effects of Linear Transformations
      Standard         Video
    19. Variance Sum Law I
      Standard         Video
    20. Statistical Literacy
      Standard
    21. Exercises
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  4. Describing Bivariate Data
  5. Probability
  6. Research Design
  7. Normal Distribution
  8. Advanced Graphs
  9. Sampling Distributions
  10. Estimation
  11. Logic of Hypothesis Testing
  12. Tests of Means
  13. Power
  14. Regression
  15. Analysis of Variance
  16. Transformations
  17. Chi Square
  18. Distribution Free Tests
  19. Effect Size
  20. Case Studies
  21. Calculators
  22. Glossary
 

Summarizing Distributions

Author(s)

David M. Lane

Prerequisites

none
  1. Central Tendency
    1. What is Central Tendency
    2. Measures of Central Tendency
    3. Balance Scale Simulation
    4. Absolute Difference Simulation
    5. Squared Differences Simulation
    6. Median and Mean
    7. Mean and Median Simulation
    8. Additional Measures
    9. Comparing measures
  2. Variability
    1. Measures of Variability
    2. Variability Demo
    3. Estimating Variance Simulation
  3. Shape
  4. Comparing Distributions Demo
  5. Effects of Transformations
  6. Variance Sum Law I
  7. Statistical Literacy
  8. Exercises

PDF (A good way to print the chapter.)

 

Descriptive statistics often involves using a few numbers to summarize a distribution. One important aspect of a distribution is where its center is located. Measures of central tendency are discussed first. A second aspect of a distribution is how spread out it is. In other words, how much the numbers in the distribution vary from one another. The second section describes measures of variability. Distributions can differ in shape. Some distributions are symmetric whereas others have long tails in just one direction. The third section describes measures of the shape of distributions. The final two sections concern (1) how transformations affect measures summarizing distributions and (2) the variance sum law, an important relationship involving a measure of variability.