A statistic is a fact or piece of information that is expressed as a number or percentage. The facts and figures that are collected and examined for information on a given subject are statistics. Probability is the likelihood of something happening or being true.

Harder - Statistics is a set of methods used to collect and analyze data. Those statistical methods help people identify, study, and solve a variety of problems. Statistics help people make good decisions about uncertain situations. Probability is used to describe events that do not occur with certainty.

People in varied occupations use statistics. Health professionals use statistical methods to determine whether a specific drug or procedure is useful in the treatment of medical problems. Weather forecasters use statistics to more accurately predict the weather. Engineers use statistics to benchmark standards for product safety and quality. Scientists employ statistical methods to design effective experiments. Economists apply statistical techniques in predicting future economic trends.

Statisticians analyze data in two varying ways: exploratory methods and confirmatory methods. Exploratory methods are used to analyze what the data seem to be saying. These exploratory methods often involve computing averages or percentages and displaying the data on some type of graph. Confirmatory methods apply ideas from probability theory in an attempt to answer specific questions.