What is "data" in data analysis- Cassie Kozyrkov

Everything our senses perceive is data , Although it is stored in our brain moist things there are still some shortcomings . It's more reliable to write it down , Especially when we write it down on the computer . When these notes are well organized , We call them data .

 

Human memory is a leaky bucket ： When we record data , We will unfaithfully destroy the reality of our rich perceptions , But then we can transmit the undamaged copy of the result to other members of our species with perfect fidelity .

 

When we analyze data , We are visiting other people's memories .

Human memory is a leaky bucket .

 

If you ever wished you could do magic , Then learn to write code .

In short , This is programming ： Use the magic words you just learned after searching the Internet , See what happens when you adjust them , Then put them together like Lego blocks to complete your bidding .

 

Analyze and summarize

There are various statistical data collection methods ：min()、max()、mean()、median()、mode()、variance() …… Try it all ！ Or try this magic word , See what happens . Statistics are any way of aggregating data .

 

Drawing and Visualization

The fact proved that , A picture may be worth more than a thousand words —— One for each data point , Then there are some .

Histogram is a way to summarize and display our sample data （ In many ways ）. For more popular data values , Their blocks are higher .

Think of bar charts and histograms as popularity contests .

To create a spreadsheet software , The magic spell is a series of clicks on various menus .

 

What is distribution ？

Distribution is the inclusion of all data samples （ All the information you care about ）, Not just samples （ The data you happen to have ）, So the best thing we can do is use a good sample to guess .

 

What is data science ？

“ Data science is the discipline that makes data useful .”

Its three sub areas ：

• It involves mining a lot of information for inspiration （ analysis ）、
• Based on limited information （ statistics ） Make wise decisions ,
• And automating tasks using patterns in the data （ML/AI）.

All data science boils down to ： Knowledge is power .

The universe is full of information waiting to be harvested and fully utilized . Although our brains are very good at navigating our reality , But they are not good at storing and processing certain types of very useful information .

This is why man first turned to clay flakes , Then turn to paper , Finally turn to silicon for help . We have developed software for quickly viewing information , Now people who know how to use it call themselves data scientists or data analysts . The real heroes are the people who build the tools , These tools enable these practitioners to better 、 Get information faster . By the way , Even the Internet is an analytical tool —— We just rarely think so , Because even children can do this kind of data analysis .

 

We are all data analysts , And it's always been .