A statistic is a numerical value that represents a piece of information about a group or a phenomenon. It is often used to summarize data, making it easier to understand trends and patterns. For example, the average score of students in a class can be considered a statistic that helps to gauge overall performance. Statistics can be collected through various methods, such as surveys or experiments. They are essential in fields like economics, healthcare, and social sciences, where they help researchers and policymakers make informed decisions based on data analysis.