Final answer:
The statement that statistics can summarize, compare, and predict data is true. Statistics draw upon quantitative data to evaluate and represent the characteristics of a population, and statistical methods like hypothesis testing are used to reach conclusions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Statistics are quantified evidence that summarizes, compares, and predicts things' is true. Statistics serve as a numerical fact or item of data that emerges from studies and research, often used to support arguments or shine light on trends and changes over time. They are essential in various fields, from predicting weather patterns to assessing cultural trends, and are invaluable in drawing conclusions from numerical data.
In statistics, key concepts include the population, which is the total group under study, and the sample, which is a subset of the population that we collect data from. This data collection can come in the form of quantitative data - always numerical – which can be further broken down into discrete or continuous data. The two primary branches within statistics are descriptive statistics, which summarize data, and inferential statistics, used to make predictions or draw conclusions about a population based on a sample.
Hypothesis testing is a process a statistician uses to make decisions based on data collected from a sample. They assess if there is sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis through evaluating statistical graphs, distributions, data analyses, and more formal tools.