Page 10 - Statistics II for Dummies
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                       Statistics II For Dummies
                                 Chapter 2: Finding the Right Analysis for the Job  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

                                      Categorical versus Quantitative Variables .................................................22
                                      Statistics for Categorical Variables .............................................................23
                                           Estimating a proportion ......................................................................23
                                           Comparing proportions ......................................................................24
                                           Looking for relationships between categorical variables...............25
                                           Building models to make predictions ...............................................26
                                      Statistics for Quantitative Variables ...........................................................27
                                           Making estimates .................................................................................27
                                           Making comparisons ...........................................................................28
                                           Exploring relationships .......................................................................28
                                           Predicting y using x .............................................................................30
                                      Avoiding Bias .................................................................................................31
                                      Measuring Precision with Margin of Error .................................................33
                                      Knowing Your Limitations ............................................................................34

                                 Chapter 3: Reviewing Confidence Intervals

                                 and Hypothesis Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
                                      Estimating Parameters by Using Confi dence Intervals .............................38
                                           Getting the basics: The general form of a confi dence interval ......38
                                           Finding the confidence interval for a population mean ..................39

                                           What changes the margin of error? ...................................................40
                                           Interpreting a confi dence interval .....................................................43
                                      What’s the Hype about Hypothesis Tests? ................................................44
                                           What Ho and Ha really represent ......................................................44
                                           Gathering your evidence into a test statistic ...................................45
                                           Determining strength of evidence with a p-value ............................45
                                           False alarms and missed opportunities: Type I and II errors.........46
                                           The power of a hypothesis test .........................................................48


                            Part II: Using Different Types of Regression
                            to Make Predictions .................................................... 53

                                 Chapter 4: Getting in Line with Simple Linear Regression. . . . . . . . . .55
                                      Exploring Relationships with Scatterplots and Correlations ...................56
                                           Using scatterplots to explore relationships .....................................57
                                           Collating the information by using the correlation coeffi cient ......58
                                      Building a Simple Linear Regression Model ...............................................60

                                           Finding the best-fitting line to model your data...............................60
                                           The y-intercept of the regression line ...............................................61
                                           The slope of the regression line.........................................................62
                                           Making point estimates by using the regression line ......................63












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           02_466469-ftoc.indd   viii                                                                  7/23/09   9:20:10 PM
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