Descriptive statistics - Answers refers to numerical facts such as averages, medians, percents, and index
numbers that help us understand the reality via available data.
Data - Answers are facts and figures collected, analysed and summarized for presentation and
interpretation
data set - Answers is a collection of all data in a particular study
elements - Answers are the entities on which data are collected
variable - Answers is a characteristic of interest for the elements
measurements - Answers on each variable for every element in the study provide data set
observation - Answers is the set of measurements for a particular element
Nominal scale - Answers data for a variable consist of labels or names used to identify an attribute of the
element. For numerical purposes may be replaced by a numerical code 1, 2, . . . . E.g. Fund type, sex,
nationality.
Ordinal scale - Answers data exhibit the properties of nominal data and the order or rank of the data is
meaningful. Ordinal data can also be provided using a numerical code. E.g. Morningstar Rank, highest
achieved education
Interval scale - Answers data have all the properties of ordinal data and the interval between values is
expressed in terms of a fixed unit of measure. Interval data are always numerical. E.g. year of birth,
temperature in degrees Celsius.
Ratio scale - Answers data have all the properties of interval data and the ratio of two values is
meaningful. This scale requires that zero value be included. The scale of most of the variables we
measure is a ratio scale. E.g. cost of a car, time, weight, distance.
Categorical data - Answers data grouped by specific categories; of either nominal or ordinal scale of
measurement. Sometimes referred to as qualitative data. Statistical analysis of categorical variables is
limited, we can summarize by counting number or proportion of observations in categories. It may not
have sense to consider characteristics such as sum or average.
Quantitative data - Answers data with numerical values indicating "how much" or "how many".
Arithmetic operations provide meaningful results for qualitative variables.
Cross - Answers sectional data - collected at the same or approximately the same point of time. E.g.
Morningstar data set time
Series data - Answers collected over several time periods. E.g. average price per gallon of gasoline
between 2006 to 2009.
, experimental study - Answers a variable of interest is identified first. Then one or more other variables
are identified and controlled so that data can be obtained about how they influence the variable of
interest. E.g. effects of a new drug on blood pressure.
Observational or non - Answers experimental studies - make no attempt to control the variables of
interest. E.g. survey, when research questions are first identified and a questionnaire is designed and
administered to a sample of individuals
Population - Answers large group of elements, set of all elements of interest in a particular study (e.g.
voters, companies, products etc.) but because of some reason (time, cost, etc.) data are collected from
only a small portion of a group - sample - a subset of population
Census - Answers Conducting a survey to collect data for the entire population
Sample survey - Answers collecting data for a sample
census - Answers is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the
members of a given population
Statistics uses data from a sample to make estimates or test hypotheses about the characteristics of a
population through a - Answers statistical inference
Statistical inference - Answers is the process of deducing properties of an underlying distribution by
analysis of data.
Frequency distribution CD - Answers is a tabular summary of data showing the number of each items in
each of several non-overlapping classes
Relative frequency CD - Answers of a class equals the proportion of items belonging to a class
Percent frequency CD - Answers of a class is the relative frequency expressed in percents (multiplied by
100)
Relative (percent) frequency distribution CD - Answers gives a tabular summary of relative (percent)
frequency for each class
Bar chart CD - Answers is a graphical representation of categorical data summarized in a frequency,
relative frequency or percent frequency distribution; the bars should be separated to emphasize that
each class is separate.
Pie chart CD - Answers provides another such graphical device
Frequency distributions QD - Answers as for categorical data; one has to define the non-overlapping
classes
Number of classes QD - Answers depending on size of the data set; use enough classes to show the
variation in the data; general guideline to use 5-20 classes