Dictionary of Computers - data

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Facts, figures, and symbols, especially as stored in computers. The term is often used to mean raw, unprocessed facts, as distinct from information, to which a meaning or interpretation has been applied.

Continuous data is data that can take any of an infinite number of values between whole numbers and so may not be measured completely accurately. This type of data contrasts with discrete data, in which the variable can only take one of a finite set of values. For example, the sizes of apples on a tree form continuous data, whereas the numbers of apples form discrete data.

Raw data are collected by surveys, experiments, observations, and data logging, or questionnaires are conducted. This sort of information is often much easier to understand when displayed as a frequency diagram.

When collecting data about a large population or group of objects it is usually practical to select a smaller sample group to study. Once the data are collected for the sample group they are then interpreted using such methods as frequency diagrams, and conclusions are drawn about the whole population. Sampling is widely used when it is not possible to survey the entire population or group. Often it is practical to arrange the data as grouped data.

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