Introduction: Mathematics as a Language Mathematicians need to be clear and concise when they communicate.

ate. The language of mathematics is better at communicating quantitative information than day to day language. How best do I communicate my work. The answer is to use a combination of written phonetic words, graphical representation of information, and certain symbolic conventions of mathematics. The challenge of the mathematician is not simply thinking up harder and harder proofs, but the challenge of finding ways to communicate information.

Statistics in Everyday Lives What is statistics? Statistics is the scientific application of mathematical principles to the collection, analysis, and presentation of numerical data. Statisticians contribute to scientific enquiry by applying their mathematical and statistical knowledge to the design of surveys and experiments; the collection, processing, and analysis of data; and the interpretation of the results. Where do you encounter statistics in your lives? 1. Weather Forecasts Do you watch the weather forecast sometime during the day? How do you use that information? Have you ever heard the forecaster talk about weather models? These computer models are built using statistics that compare prior weather conditions with current weather to predict future weather. 2. Emergency Preparedness What happens if the forecast indicates that a hurricane is imminent or that tornadoes are likely to occur? Emergency management agencies move into high gear to be ready to rescue people. Emergency teams rely on statistics to tell them when danger may occur. 3. Predicting Disease Lots of times on the news reports, statistics about a disease are reported. If the reporter simply reports the number of people who either have the disease or who have died from it, it's an interesting fact but it might not mean much to your life. But when statistics become involved, you have a better idea of how that disease may affect you.
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4. Medical Studies Scientists must show a statistically valid rate of effectiveness before any drug can be prescribed. Statistics are behind every medical study you hear about. 5. Political Campaigns Whenever there's an election, the news organizations consult their models when they try to predict who the winner is. Candidates consult voter polls to determine where and how they campaign. Statistics play a part in who your elected government officials will be 6. Insurance You know that in order to drive your car you are required by law to have car insurance. If you have a mortgage on your house, you must have it insured as well. The rate that an insurance company charges you is based upon statistics from all drivers or homeowners in your area. 7. Stock Market Another topic that you hear a lot about in the news is the stock market. Stock analysts also use statistical computer models to forecast what is happening in the economy. Note: Try to think where do YOU encounter statistics in YOUR life. What is statistical representation? Statistical representation is the science/art of using data to describe the world around us. There are numerous ways of constructing statistical representations. The proper representation depends upon the nature of the data and the particular issues being addressed. A combination of methods is often appropriate. Statistical representations include pictograms, bar graphs, line graphs, box plots, pie charts, histograms and box plots. o Pictograms A pictograph uses an icon to represent a quantity of data values in order to decrease the size of the graph. A key must be used to explain the icon. Visually, pictograms may be more appealing because of the symbols used. However, the scale for a pictogram may be quite rough. We have to draw a part of the symbol to represent a certain quality and this makes interpretation of the data less accurate.

o Bar Graph The organized data in a frequency table can be represented by a suitable graph such as a bar graph (or called bar chart). In a bar graph, the length of each rectangular bar is proportional to the frequency of the class it represents. A bar graph displays discrete data in separate columns. A double bar graph can be used to compare two data sets. Categories are considered unordered and can be rearranged alphabetically, by size, etc.

o Line Graph A line graph plots continuous data as points and then joins them with a line. Multiple data sets can be graphed together, but a key must be used. Line graphs compare two variables. Each variable is plotted along an axis. A line graph has a vertical axis and a horizontal axis. So, for example, if you wanted to graph the height of a ball after you have thrown it, you could put time along the horizontal, or x-axis, and height along the vertical, or y-axis.

o Pie Charts A pie chart displays data as a percentage of the whole. A pie chart is a circle divided into sectors such that the area of each sector is proportional to the size of its category.

o Histogram A histogram displays continuous data in ordered columns with class intervals. A histogram consists of rectangles whose areas are proportional to the frequencies in each class. The bases of the rectangles being equal to the class intervals are on the horizontal axis. Categories are of continuous measure such as time, inches, temperature, etc.

o Cumulative frequency
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Cumulative frequency graphs are always plotted using the highest value in each group of data, and the cumulative frequency is always plotted up a graph, never across. Cumulative frequency diagrams usually have this characteristic S-shape.

References: http://descmath.com/desc/language.html 24/12/2009 http://www.mathworksheetscenter.com/mathtips/statsareimportant.html 24/12/2009 American Statistical Association http://www.amstat.org/careers/whatisstatistics.cfm 24/12/2009 http://neptune.galaxy.gmu.edu/ACAS/ACAS00-02/ACAS00ShortCourse/showme.pdf