Statistics \Sta*tis"tics\ (st[.a]*t[i^]s"t[i^]ks), n. [Cf. F.
statistique, G. statistik. See State, n.]
1. The science which has to do with the collection,
classification, and analysis of facts of a numerical
nature regarding any topic. Specifically: The science
dealing with collection, tabulation, and analysis of facts
respecting the condition of the people in a state.
Note: [In this sense grammatically singular.]
[1913 Webster]
2. pl. Classified facts of a numerical nature regarding any
topic. Specifically:
(a) Numerical facts respecting the condition of the people
in a state, their health, their longevity, domestic
economy, arts, property, and political strength, their
resources, the state of the country, etc., or
respecting any particular class or interest;
especially, those facts which can be stated in
numbers, or in tables of numbers, or in any tabular
and classified arrangement.
(b) (Sport) Numerical facts regarding the performance of
athletes or athletic teams, such as winning
percentages, numbers of games won or lost in a season,
batting averages (for baseball players), total yards
gained (for football players). The creation and
classification of such numbers is limited only by the
imagination of those wishing to describe athletic
performance numerically.
Syn: stats.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
3. The branch of mathematics which studies methods for the
calculation of probabilities.
[PJC]
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statistics
<statistics, mathematics> The practice, study or result of the
application of mathematical functions to collections of
data in order to summarise or extrapolate that data.
The subject of statistics can be divided into descriptive
statistics - describing data, and analytical statistics -
drawing conclusions from data.
(1997-07-16)
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