Python Programming for Biology: Bioinformatics and Beyond

Simple statistical parameters

Our first practical analyses of data involve measuring some of the fundamental statistical

parameters.  These  can  be  calculated  without  any  knowledge  of  what  the  underlying

probability distribution might be. However, if we do consider the underlying distribution

these  sample-based  parameters  will  be  estimates  for  their  probabilistic  equivalents.  The

theory regarding whether we are truly estimating the underlying probabilistic parameters

in  an  unbiased  way  is  left  to  further  reading.  Here  we  will  simply  introduce  the  simple

statistical parameters and how we usually calculate them.

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