Statistics answers questions using data, or information about the situation. A statistic is a property of data, be it a number such as an average or a graph that displays information. Statistics—the discipline— is the science and art of extracting answers from data. Some of these answers do require putting numbers into formulas, but you can also do every statistical analysis with graphs and tables. It’s hard to lie or be fooled when the answer stares you in the face. Think of statistics as art. An artist must choose the right subject, and a good statistician finds the right picture. Rather than learning to paint, in this course you’ll learn how to use statistics to interpret data and answer interesting questions.

统计学使用数据或有关情况的信息回答问题。统计是数据的一种属性，无论是一个数字，例如平均数，还是显示信息的图形。统计学是从数据中提取答案的科学和艺术。其中有些答案确实需要在公式中输入数字，但是你也可以用图表来做每一个统计分析。当答案直面你的时候，你很难撒谎或被愚弄。把统计学看作艺术。一个艺术家必须选择正确的主题，一个好的统计学家会找到正确的图片。在本课程中，您将学习如何使用统计学来解释数据和回答有趣的问题，而不是学习绘画。