Question

In this unit, you looked at numerical measures for statistics, including measures of central tendency and distribution for one-dimensional data and correlations for two-dimensional data. You also used histograms, box plots, and scatter grams to visually analyze central tendency, distribution, and correlation. What do you consider to be the advantages of the numerical values? What do you consider to be the advantages of the visual representations? Which do you prefer working with, and why?

Answer 1

Some advantages of using the numerical values are that it sums up all the data in a simple way (if you use the correct number for the data).  If you are trying to communicate information about all the data that has been collected in a simple way (ex: grade), it makes sense to use numbers.  Another advantage is that numerical data is relatively simple to find, when compared to representing the data visually.

Advantages of using visual representations are that you can see patterns/tendencies more easily within the data when there are pictures/organization of the data.  Visual representations also give a broader perspective of the entire data set, instead of just using one number.  You can see how data is represented from the beginning to the end.

The last question is an opinion question, but my preference is visual.

Answer 2

Answer:

Well, for numerical values, it sums up all the data in a rather simple way. It's rather simple to distinguish the numbers that way. As for advantages of visual representations, one can easily spot shapes, time, et cetera. I prefer visual because I'm a visual learner.