Glossary

the inputs to a function; expressions for arguments follow the name of a function

a display of categorical data that uses bars positioned over category values; each bar’s height reflects the count or percentage of data values in that category

the box plot (a.k.a. box-and whisker-plot) is a way of displaying a distribution of data based on the five-number summary: minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum

data whose values are qualities that are not subject to the laws of arithmetic.

a statement of the name, domain, and range of a function

a structured piece of data in a dataset that typically reports all the information gathered about a given individual

the science of collecting, organizing, and drawing general conclusions from data, with the help of computers

the left-most text box in the Editor where definitions for values and functions are written

a sequence of steps that helps people document, test, and write functions

the type or set of inputs that a function expects

software in which you can write and evaluate code

the variable in a relationship that is presumed to impact the other variable

of a relationship between two quantitative variables: whether the two variables together vary linearly or in some other way

how often a particular value appears in a data set

a mathematical object that consumes inputs and produces an output

a non-random subset of individuals chosen from a larger set, where the individuals belong to a specific group

the titles of each column of a table, usually shown at the top

a display of quantitative data that uses vertical bars positioned over bins (sub-intervals); each bar’s height reflects the count or percentage of data values in that bin.

a column of unique values which identify all the individual rows (e.g. - student IDs, SSNs, etc)

the right-most text box in the Editor, where expressions are entered to evaluate

(IQR) is one possible measure of spread, based on dividing a data set into four parts. The values that divide each part are called the first quartile (Q1), the median, and third quartile (Q3). IQR is calculated as Q3 minus Q1.

summarizes the relationship (if linear) between two quantitative variables

modeling the relationship between two quantitative variables using a straight line

average, calculated as the sum of values divided by the number of values

the middle element of a quantitative data set

a function that is only associated with an instance of a datatype, which consumes inputs and produces an output based on that instance

the most commonly appearing categorical or quantitative value or values in a data set

a data point that is unusually far above or below most of the others

a display that uses areas of a circular pie’s slices to show percentages in each category

a function which, given a value from one data set, makes an educated guess at a related value in a different data set

a set of rules for writing code that a computer can evaluate

number values for which arithmetic makes sense

three values that divide a data set into four equal-sized groups

a number between −1 and 1 that measures the direction and strength of a linear relationship between two quantitative variables (also known as correlation value)

the type or set of outputs that a function produces

the distance between minimum and maximum values

the variable in a relationship that is presumed to be affected by the other variable

a display of the relationship between two quantitative variables, graphing each explanatory value on the x axis and the accompanying response on the y axis

The aspect of a dataset that tells which values are more or less common

lack of balance in a dataset’s shape, arising from more values that are unusually low or high. Such values tend to trail off, rather than be separated by a gap (as with outliers).

A distribution is skewed left if there are a few values that are fairly low compared to the bulk of data values. A display of the data will show a longer tail to the left.

A distribution is skewed right if there are a few values that are fairly high compared to the bulk of data values. A display of the data will show a longer tail to the right.

the extent to which values in a data set vary, either from one another or from the center

using information from a sample to draw conclusions about the larger population from which the sample was taken

A symmetric distribution has a balanced shape, showing that it’s just as likely for the variable to take lower values as higher values.

factors that can undermine the conclusion of a study