LESSON 7

INTRODUCTION TO BIOSTATISTICS

In this lesson we talked about the introduction to biostatistics.
To begin we learned that there are different scales for measuring variables

* Nominal Scale: here check if two subjects have equality or difference. The characteristics must be: exhaustive (that all individuals can be classified within the scale) and exclusive (can not match more than two cases a person)

* Ordinary scale: this scale is possible to establish whether the two variables are the same or different, and if they are different or different determine which of them is greater.

* Measuring range. Interval scale. It presents the characteristics of the previous two scales: identity and order.

* Measuring range. Ratio scale. It is the highest level of measurement. It has features of the previous three scales: equality / inequality, order and equivalent distances between intervals.


Second we have also seen that there are several types of variables. We can classify in:

*Qualitative: properties that can not be measured. can not be used to measure the level of knowledge, marital status ... Two types:

a) Nominee. Two types -> dichotomous: 2 levels of categories and polychotomous: more than 2 categories.

b) Ordinal: establish an order


*Quantitative: it is those that can be measured in arithmetic terms. Two types:


a) discrete: You can take a finite number of values.
b) Continuous: which can be worth any number within a range


At the end we learned how to make a frequency table, which is the representation of data showing frequencies in columns and categories of variables in the ranks. It presents repetitive information visible and understandable and different types of graphical representations from which communicates information quickly enough.