Sandman
In article <u4u5l9dvos7rjkgna4og31ma64trt1v50a@4ax.com>, Eric Stevens wrote:

Tony Cooper
All statistics start with one data point.

Sandman
And no statistics consist of one data point.

Eric Stevens
You are bluffing. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_point

"In statistics, a data point or observation is a set of one or more measurements on a single member of a statistical population."

Single data points are as much a part of statistics as is a cloud of data points.

Sandman
See how you had to make it plural to make the sentence work?

"A single data point is as much part of statistics as is a cloud of data points"

Just doesn't work.

Incorrect. As long as you have one datapoint, the data is worthless, statistically.

Eric Stevens
(a) not necessarily and (b) even if the data is worthless it does not make it any less a part of statistics.

Sandman
Incorrect.