March 2026
Intermediate
512 pages
14h 19m
English
Content preview from Mathematics in Cybersecurity
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10What Do We Mean by Statistics?
Statistics is the study of the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data. In other words, it is a mathematical discipline to collect and summarize data.
Often, people think of probability and statistics interchangeably; this is actually untrue because they are two sides of a particular coin. Probability is a predictive science, using information to extrapolate toward future events. Statistics is a summative science, describing events that have already taken place.
The two concepts certainly do overlap, as statistical information can allow us to extrapolate toward future events, but they are not one and the same.
10.1 Sampling
Sampling is a crucial aspect of statistics that involves selecting (in some manner) a subset of individuals from a “population” to estimate characteristics of that population. There are several sampling techniques, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this section, we will discuss five common sampling methods: convenience sampling, systematic sampling, random sampling, cluster sampling, and stratified sampling.
An immediate question presents itself: why bother with sampling at all? If we are interested in information about a “population,” why not just investigate the population?
The answer to this question is a matter of practicality. Typically, the population is so large and so far-flung that a direct examination of the population is impossible or impractical. It is for ...
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