Lesson 1 - Using FX Stat From Within Word
Even though FX Stat adds itself to your Start menu, the best way to use it is from within Word.
To use FX Stat in this manner...
1. Load Word
2. When you wish to insert a diagram, push the FX Stat button that has been added to your toolbars. If you have not got an FX Stat button, see the note below.
3. Draw your diagram using the tools on the left hand side of your screen. For the purposes of this lesson you can draw anything.
4. Once you are happy with your diagram, PUSH THE GREEN TICK on your toolbar. This is the most important step - if you do not push the green tick, your diagram will not be returned to Word.
5. You should now be returned to Word and you diagram should be on your page. If you wish to edit your diagram later on, DOUBLE-CLICK on it. FX Stat will reopen and let you edit the diagram. To return to Word, you PUSH THE GREEN TICK again and your changes will be shown in your Word file.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN FX STAT TOOLBAR BUTTON
Firstly check that you have not just missed it. The FX Stat toolbar button has a blue-barred histogram with a grey Sigma sign on it.
If it is not there, you should reinstall FX Stat taking particular notice of when it asks you if it should integrate with Word. Make sure that you select the correct version of Word.
This information is similar to that provided in the FX Draw Introductory email tutorial series.
This lesson set is applicable to FX Stat and the Statistics tool of FX Draw but from this point forward we will just refer to FX Stat. FX Stat is easier to type than "Efofex's Statistical Engine". We will note any differences between FX Stat and FX Draw as they arise.
Lesson 2 - The Three Views
FX Stat provides three different ways of looking at your data.
The Data View - The left hand side of the screen. This looks a lot like a little spreadsheet. There are some VERY important differences between the data view and a spreadsheet however and they will be discussed later. The data view is where you enter your raw data and FX Stat understands lots of different types of data including frequency tables and grouped data. For the moment, this is where you need to type your numbers.
The Statistics View - The top right hand side of the screen. This provides you with a large number of available summary statistics for your data. It can provide one variable and two variable statistics.
The Graph View - The bottom right hand side of the screen in FX Stat - the returned graph in FX Draw. This is the currently selected data graphed using the currently selected graph type and options.
The three views are updated dynamically - as you change data the statistics view and the graph view are updated immediately. This lets you and your students see the interactions and obtain results immediately.
Note:
FX Draw only shows you the graph when you return to the main screen - it does not display it interactively. To see the data view and the statistics view in FX Draw you need to RIGHT-CLICK on the statistics graph.
Lesson 3 - Entering Data
Rule Number One for FX Stat is:
FX Stat "Thinks" in Columns
so any data you want statistics for or graph MUST be in a column.
Go to the top of column A and start typing numbers. As you type your numbers you should see the statistics view and the graph view change.
Important Points:
1. FX Stat ONLY. If the statistics view is too small and you cannot see anything, you need to make it bigger. Just under the "Copy Statistics to Clipboard" button there is a bar between the statistics view and the graph view. As you move OVER the bar, your cursor will change to an up/down arrow. By pressing your left mouse button and moving your mouse down you can change how much of the space is devoted to the statistics view.
2. If your statistics view is NOT being updated, it may be pointing to wrong column. At the top of the Statistics view, change "For column" to A
3. If your graph view is NOT being updated, it may be graphing the wrong column. Change the list box next to the graph type to A.
Now is a good time to play with the graph options and statistics options. Have a little look around.
Lesson 4 - Data Generators - Random Numbers
FX Stat provides you with some great tools for "creating" data. Of course we all know that you should NEVER create statistical data but that rule doesn't help you write a test paper!
In FX Stat, go to the Tools menu and choose Random Numbers.
In FX Draw, push the Random Numbers button underneath the Statistics View.
You will see a tabbed dialog box that allows you to generate random numbers in many different ways (we have given an example of things you might use each distribution for).
Integers between two numbers - throwing a 6 sided die
Uniform decimals between 0 and 1
Normally distributed values with a given mean and standard deviation - simulate student results on a test.
Bernoulli Trials - success or failure with a given probability - simulating a coin toss.
Binomial Trials - number of successes in a set number of trials - number of boys in a 5 child family
Hypergeometric trials - number of red marbles you get when you take 5 marbles from a bag of 10 marbles when 6 of the 10 are red.
Geometric Trials - How many times you have to roll a die before you get a six.
Negative Binomial Trials - How many times you have to roll a die before you get a total of three sixes.
Just push the tab you are after and fill in the blanks. That is all there is to it.
Lesson 5 - Data Generators - Bivariate Data
FX Stat can also produce more complicated data sets.
In FX Stat, go to the Tools menu and choose Bivariate Data Generator.
In FX Draw, push the Bivariate Data Generator button underneath the Statistics View.
The bivariate data generator produces data that fits your requirements. All you have to do is to fill in the blanks.
The Low x and High x values restrict the values x can take.
The Regression equation allows you to change the regression model your data will fit - this will usually be linear.
a, b and c contain the parameters for the currently selected regression model.
Target r is your desired target correlation coefficient.
There are some important points to note.
1. The generator will NOT be able to provide data which EXACTLY fits your requirements - but it will be close. The system tries to produce data which fits
a) Your correlation coefficient FIRST
b) Your parameters c, b and a IN THAT ORDER
In other words your r is likely to be very close to your desired amount and a is least likely to be matched.
2. If you want data to fit a NEGATIVE correlation coefficient (of say r = -0.9) enter the absolute value of r (0.9) and make the SLOPE OF THE LINE negative. In other words, set b to something like -0.4.
Lesson 6 - Data Generators - Time Series Data
In FX Stat, go to the Tools menu and choose Time Series Data Generator.
In FX Draw, push the Time Series Data Generator button underneath the Statistics View.
The time series data generator produces data that fits your requirements. All you have to do is to fill in the blanks.
This tool is VERY similar to the Bivariate Data Generator but it has two "sliders" that control aspects of the generated data.
The tool works by:
a) Taking the required basic regression equation and calculating a raw score. These raw scores follow the regression line perfectly.
b) Calculating cycle components - one for each spot in the cycle. The cycle components are added to the basic raw score. The cycle components are influenced by the VOLATILITY slider. If the volatility slider is all the way to the left, the cycle will be almost nonexistent - mere ripples on the basic curve. If the volatility is all the way to the right, the cycle will be DRAMATIC with wide deviations from the basic curve.
If we graphed the data now, you would see "perfect" cyclical data. A perfect curve with a very regular cycle overlaid.
c) As a last step, the tool adds noise - random variations in the data. The amount of noise depends on the noise slider. If the noise slider is all the way over to the left, the cycle remains perfect - all the way over to the right and the noise will likely drown out everything else.
Lesson 7 - The Statistics View
The Statistics View provides summary statistics for the currently selected column(s).
The One Variable Statistics View asks you to set the current column at the top and will then show you summary statistics for that column. Next to the column selection you can tell FX Stat which summary statistics to show.
Use the Random Number generator to generate some normally distributed data in Column A.
Make sure that the One Variable Statistics View is set to Column A.
Change the Statistics View setting to ALL Data.
FX Stat calculates134 different summary statistics for your column. It usually does not display all of the statistics - just a selection. Take a look at what is available.
The Two Variable Statistics View is slightly more complex.
Use the Bivariate Number generator to generate some bivariate data in Columns A and B.
Push the Two Variable Tab at the top of the Statistics View
Make sure that the Two Variable Statistics are set to Columns A and B.
Choose a regression model - this is usually linear.
The two variable statistics view will calculate all relevant statistics for your selections including correlation coefficients and regression equations. It will also show you summary statistics for each column.
In the data view, delete one of the numbers so that one of the data pairs is not complete. The Statistics View will update to show you a warning. FX Stat tries to prevent you (and your students) from making logical errors and we will see other examples of this later on.
The final feature of the Statistics View is the Copy Statistics to Clipboard button. This button maintains formatting so your statistics will show correctly if copied to a word processor.
Lesson 8 - Drawing Graphs
Once you have mastered the Data and Statistics View, drawing graphs is easy.
1. Set the graph TYPE using the drop down list.
2. Set which columns you wish to graph using the two drop down lists.
3. Change any options you wish
FX Stat will do the rest.
You select the columns to graph using the two drop down lists. This means that you can easily select two columns of information to graph as separate lines, box plots, dot plots etc. It also means that you can easily select the TWO columns required for a scatter plot.
So what if you don't want to graph two columns?
Click on the right hand drop down list. At the very top of the list is the "none" option. If you only want to graph one data set, set the second one to None. This is particularly important with Histograms as we will see later.
Lesson 9 – The Problem With Statistics
In all honesty, statistics are the bugbear of Efofex's existence. The reason? Everybody does things differently and fervently believes that THEIR way is the ONLY correct way of doing this. These differences are often between regions of the SAME country!
At Efofex we NEVER make any comment on whether someone's way of doing things is "correct" or "incorrect" - we just try to make FX Stat service everybody's needs.
What this means is that if FX Stat is NOT doing something "correctly" you should:
1. Accept that what you are seeing is "correct" somewhere else. It may seem to be a mathematical abomination to you but somewhere else, someone else just as fervently believes that it is the right thing to do.
2. Check whether what you want is available as an option. If the problem regards summary statistics, you can set the options by going to the Tools menu and choosing System Options in FX Stat or by Tool / Preferences / Statistics in FX Draw. Graph options can be set using the Options button.
3. If the "correct" of doing it is not available as an option - TELL US. Just do it nicely. If you really want the problem fixed we need to have:
a) Some sample data
b) A clear example of what you want - graph or statistic.
Just remember that just telling us that it is wrong is not enough. The more detail the better.
We will discuss the specific graph options in later lessons. The STATISTICS options are discussed below.
1. We have found three common ways of calculating quartiles (which affects the interquartile range). Some school systems ask students to find the middle score of the upper (or lower half) EXCLUDING the median - some INCLUDING the median. For the small number of data points that most questions use, this can produce slightly differing results. Some other schools systems use the 25th and 75th percentile - which produces different results again (SEE PERCENTILE NOTE BELOW)
2. School systems seem to use two quite distinct methods for (de)seasonalising data. We do not have terms which describe the two methods so we have called them "Method One" and "Method Two". We suggest that if this affects you, compare the two methods to known results.
3. There are two common methods for determining percentiles which we have termed "interpolated" (like Excel) and "discrete". The main difference is that discrete percentiles MUST be one of the scores. Interpolated percentiles can be any number. These differences interact with the quartiles options.
Messy, isn't it.
Lesson 10 - Setting Your Own Scales
There are two many graph options to discuss them all in detail so we will concentrate on things that some people find confusing.
FX Stat automatically adjusts the scales of your graph to fit the data you are using and it usually does a good job. Inevitably, there will be some occasions when you wish to change FX Stat's default scales.