Topic 4: Statistics and Probability

SL 4.1 Categorizing Data ● Concepts of population, sample,

random sample, discrete and
continuous data.
● Reliability of data sources and bias
in sampling.
● Interpretation of outliers.
● Sampling techniques and their
effectiveness.

SL 4.2 Presenting Data ● Presentation of data (discrete and

continuous): frequency distributions
(tables).
● Histograms.
● Cumulative frequency; cumulative
frequency graphs; use to find
median, quartiles, percentiles,
range and interquartile range (IQR).
● Production and understanding of
box and whisker diagrams.

SL 4.3 Central Tendency ● Measures of central tendency

(mean, median and mode).
● Estimation of mean from grouped
data.
● Modal class.
● Measures of dispersion
(interquartile range, standard
deviation and variance).
● Effect of constant changes on the
original data.
● Quartiles of discrete data.

SL 4.4 2-variable Statistics ● Linear correlation of bivariate data.

● Pearson’s product-moment
correlation coefficient, 𝑟.
● Scatter diagrams; lines of best fit,
by eye, passing through the mean
point.
● Equation of the regression line of 𝑦
on 𝑥.
● Use of the equation of the
regression line for prediction
purposes.
● Interpret the meaning of the
parameters, 𝑎 and 𝑏, in a linear
regression 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏.

SL 4.5 Probability with ● Concepts of trial, outcome, equally

Notations likely outcomes, relative frequency,
sample space (𝑈) and event.
● The probability of an event 𝐴 is
 𝑛(𝐴)
𝑃(𝐴) = 𝑛(𝑈)
.
● The complementary events 𝐴 and 𝐴'
(not 𝐴').
● Expected number of occurrences.

SL 4.6 Venn Diagrams and ● Use of Venn diagrams, tree

Probability diagrams, sample space diagrams
and tables of outcomes to calculate
probabilities.
○ Combined events:
𝑃(𝐴 ∪ 𝐵) = 𝑃(𝐴) + 𝑃(𝐵) − 𝑃
.
○ Mutually exclusive events:
𝑃(𝐴 ∩ 𝐵) = 0.
○ Conditional probability:
𝑃(𝐴∩𝐵)
𝑃(𝐴|𝐵) = 𝑃(𝐵) .
○ Independent events:
𝑃(𝐴 ∩ 𝐵) = 𝑃(𝐴)𝑃(𝐵).

SL 4.7 Discrete Random ● Concept of discrete random

Variables variables and their probability
distributions.
● Expected value (mean), 𝐸(𝑋), for
discrete data.
● Applications.

SL 4.8 Binomial Distribution ● Binomial distribution.

● Mean and variance of the binomial
distribution.

SL 4.9 Normal Distribution ● The normal distribution and curve.

● Properties of the normal distribution.
● Diagrammatic representation.
● Normal probability calculations.
● Inverse normal calculations

SL 4.10 Regression Line ● Equation of the regression line of 𝑥

on 𝑦.
● Use of the equation for prediction
purposes.

SL 4.11 Conditional ● Formal definition and use of the

Probability and 𝑃(𝐴∩𝐵)
formulae: 𝑃(𝐴|𝐵) = 𝑃(𝐵) for
Independent Events
conditional probabilities, and
𝑃(𝐴|𝐵) = 𝑃(𝐴) = 𝑃(𝐴|𝐵') for
independent events.

SL 4.12 Standardization ● Standardization of normal variables

(𝑧-values).
● Inverse normal calculations where
mean and standard deviation are
unknown.
AHL 4.13 Bayes’ Theorem ● Use of Bayes’ theorem for a
maximum of three events.

AHL 4.14 Discrete and ● Variance of a discrete random

Continuous Random variable.
Variables ● Continuous random variables and
their probability density functions.
● Mode and median of continuous
random variables.
● Mean, variance and standard
deviation of both discrete and
continuous random variables.
● The effect of linear transformations
of 𝑋.