Mathematics
Descriptive Statistics
Quick fact
The word 'statistics' comes from the Latin 'status', meaning state—early statisticians collected data for governments. Today, descriptive statistics still serve as the 'state of the data' report.
Why this is interesting
You have a list of 1,000 numbers. Without reading each one, can you instantly understand what that data is telling you? That’s exactly what descriptive statistics does—it turns raw data into a story.