Explain the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics.

Descriptive statistics uses the data to provide descriptions of the population, either through numerical calculations or graphs or tables. Inferential statistics makes inferences and predictions about a population based on a sample of data taken from the population in question.

The main difference between descriptive and inferential statistics is that descriptive statistics describe what the data show whereas with inferential statistics the goal is to reach conclusions that extend beyond the data in hand. Descriptive statistics are used to describe or summarize data in hand from a sample or a population.