statistics

Everyday

1. The branch of maths that collects, organises and studies numbers and data to find patterns and answer questions. tree →
2. Facts shown as numbers, such as how many people live in a town or the average rainfall. tree →
3. (a statistic) One such number or fact. tree →

In the lessons

In school maths, statistics covers tally charts, tables, bar charts, pictograms, line graphs, pie charts, and averages (mean, median, mode, range). In science and geography pupils collect data and use statistics to compare. In the news statistics tell how many or how often. Phrases: «collect statistics», «official statistics», «according to statistics», «sports statistics».

Examples

• In maths we are learning about statistics and bar charts. tree →
• The statistics show that more children walk to school than cycle. tree →
• Statistics is a useful subject for scientists. tree →
• The cricket commentator read out the player's statistics. tree →
• Government statistics say the population is growing. tree →
• One shocking statistic is that many children skip breakfast. tree →
• We used statistics to find the average height in our class. tree →
• Be careful: statistics can be shown in a way that misleads you. tree →

Note

As a subject it takes a singular verb: «Statistics is fun». As numbers it takes a plural verb: «The statistics are clear». One number is «a statistic». Short informal form: «stats». In problems, statistics questions ask you to read a chart, find a total, a difference or an average; always check the scale and the units.