Statistics and their analysis are key to making mathematical sense of the world around us. In this textbook the authors underscore the importance of statistical methods and calculation skills and explain clearly and simply the key concepts and principles of statistics, so that they are easy to understand. The main purpose of the book is to make students more confident about handling statistical data and enable them to understand the meaning of the results obtained.

Statistical methods cover the collection of data, descriptive methods and inferential methods of analysis. Calculation skills cover elementary calculations, percentages and ratios, equations, graphs and interest calculations. The elementary calculations include basic calculations, such as exponents, decimals, scientific notation, logarithms, rounding and VAT calculations. This book teaches students with no mathematics background how to do basic calculations before concentrating on the statistical applications. For some courses, calculations such as interest, future values of investments, graphs and ratios form part of the core module and are also covered in this book.

Key Features

• Updated content
• Exercises at the end of each chapter
• Multiple-choice questions at the end of each chapter.
  
  

• Part One: Statistical Methods
  • Unit 1: Introduction
  • Unit 2: Collection of data
  • Unit 3: Summarising data using tables and graphs
  • Unit 4: Summarising data using numerical descriptors
  • Unit 5: Index numbers
  • Unit 6: Summarising bivariate data: simple regression and correlation analysis
  • Unit 7: Time series
  • Unit 8: Probability: basic concepts
  • Unit 9: Probability distributions
  • Unit 10: Statistical inference: estimation
  • Unit 11: Hypothesis testing
• Part Two: Calculation Skills
  • Unit 12: Elementary calculations
  • Unit 13: Percentages and ratios
  • Unit 14: Equations and graph construction
  • Unit 15: Interest calculations
• Appendix 1: The standard normal distribution
• Appendix 2: The t–distribution
• Appendix 3: The chi-square distribution
• Appendix 4: Random

• First-year students registered for Statistics as part of a degree in Commerce, Accounting, Food Technology, Biotechnology and Biomedical Technology, as well as those doing Engineering diplomas and B Eng Tech qualifications which include applied Statistics.
• Matric-level students doing advanced work in Financial Mathematics.