A statistical model is used in applied statistics. Three basic notions are sufficient to describe all statistical models.
We choose a statistical unit which we will observe directly. Multiple observations of the same unit over time is called longitudinal research[?]. Observations of a variety of statistical attributes[?] is a common way of studying relationships among the attributes of a single unit.
We may really be interested in a statistical population (or set) of similar units rather than in any statistical unit per se. Survey sampling offers an example of this type of application.
... marls and clays, folded by subsequent upheavals, in many parts of the island. The clays, which contain layers of good coal and an abundant fossil vegetation, show that ...