统计是适应人类社会生活的需要而产生和发展的,在原始社会里,人类最初的一般计数活动,蕴藏着统计的萌芽。人类的统计是一种计数活动,而数字则是计数的工具,数字概念的形成远在文字出现之前。最初,在原始公社时期,由于生产力水平很低,没有劳动剩余和积蓄,也不需要计数,所以,原始人的数字概念十分薄弱。随着劳动的发展和交换的增多,才引起了记数的需要。计数是项具体的活动,它需要凭借一定的工具与程序,古代人主要是通过四种形式实现的:第一,人类有十个灵活的手指头,是充当计数的天然工具。第二,常常借助于石子、贝壳、小棒等自然实物,随着计数活动的逐步增加,才开始出现一种经过加工的,便利的计算工具来代替。例如,古代中国,人们用竹子削制一种几寸长的细竹签,称为筹码。把它摆成不同的形式 Statistics are generated and developed to meet the needs of human social life. In primitive society, the first general counting activity of human beings contained the seeds of statistics. Human statistics is a counting activity, while numbers are tools for counting. The concept of numbers forms far before the words appear. Initially, during the primitive commune period, the primitive concept was weak because of the low level of productivity, the absence of labor surplus and savings and the absence of counting. With the development of labor and the increase of exchanges, it has aroused the need of counting. Counting is a concrete activity that requires the tools and procedures of the ancient people to be achieved mainly in four forms: first, humans have ten flexible fingers and act as a natural instrument for counting. Second, often with the aid of natural objects such as gravel, shells, rods, etc., as the counting activity gradually increases, a processed and handy calculation tool is beginning to emerge. For example, in ancient China, bamboo was used to cut down a few inches long thin bamboo sticks called chips. Put it in different forms