Review Topics for Success
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Use the definition of percent
- Write a percent as a ratio
- Given a ratio, write as a percent and a fraction
- Convert a percent to a fraction
- Convert a percent to a decimal
- Convert a decimal to a percent
- Convert a fraction to a percent
- Solve percent equations for percent, amount, and base
- Find the mean of a set of numbers.
- Find the median of a set of numbers.
- Find the mode of a set of numbers.
This module is concerned with statistics: collecting and describing data. When faced with a research question of interest, the first thing statisticians do is to design a study and collect data. But the manner and method of observing members of a population can affect the outcome of the analysis. Researchers need to be careful to follow prescribed methodologies. The language and terminology of statistics reflects the constant effort of researchers to apply precise mathematical methods to imprecise problems in the real world. This module builds up much of the language you'll need to begin a study of data analysis; you'll need to learn terms and processes first before you can apply computational statistical techniques. You'll notice that percentages feature heavily throughout our discussion of statistics, so take some time in this review module to practice manipulating and converting between percents, fractions, and decimals.
In statistics, we are also interested in the visualizing data in graphical representations and examining its shape. We look at other characteristics, too, such as where the data appears to be centered, and its variability. Certain numerical averages called mean, median, and mode help us describe the central tendency of a data set. We can summarize how many times we observe a particular characteristic in a sample of observations using ratios called proportions. In this module, you'll study graphical representations and compute the mean, median, and mode as measures of central tendency of a data set. Prepare to explore these ideas in this review section by learning how to find the mean, median, and mode of a list of numbers.
Recall for success
Look for red boxes like this one throughout the text. They'll show up just in time to give helpful reminders of the math you'll need, right where you'll need it.
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