A computer should make both calculations and graphs. Both sorts of output should be studied; each will contribute to understanding.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x | y | x | y | x | y | x | y |
| Statistic | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mean(x) | 9.00 | 9.00 | 9.00 | 9.00 |
| mean(y) | 7.50 | 7.50 | 7.50 | 7.50 |
| var(x) | 11.00 | 11.00 | 11.00 | 11.00 |
| var(y) | 4.13 | 4.13 | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| correlation | 0.82 | 0.82 | 0.82 | 0.82 |
| linear regression | y = 0.5x + 3 | y = 0.5x + 3 | y = 0.5x + 3 | y = 0.5x + 3 |
Simple, contrived, but effective example.
Need to analyze and visualize your data.
Simple visualizations are often enough to reveal structure.