Final answer:
Descriptive statistics involve organizing and summarizing data, while inferential statistics are used to make conclusions about a population based on a sample.
Step-by-step explanation:
Descriptive statistics involve organizing and summarizing data to describe its central tendency and spread. Examples include calculating the mean, or average, value of a dataset or measuring the standard deviation to determine the variability. This helps us understand the data and identify any trends or patterns.
Inferential statistics, on the other hand, are used to make conclusions or inferences about a population based on a sample. It involves hypothesis testing and estimating population parameters. For example, by sampling a group of calculators, we can infer the percentage of defective calculators in the entire production.