Statistics 210 Exam 1
What is a population parameter?
a numerical value describing some attribute of a population
What is a sample statistic
a numerical value describing some attribute of a sample
Difference between a sample statistic and a population parameter
a population parameter is frequently impractical or impossible to find for larger populations, however a sample statistic is often easier to find and provides a reasonable approximation to the population parameter
What is a sample
a portion of the entities of interest that the researcher uses to gather data
Difference between population and a sample
a sample is only a part of a complete population
What is a population
the entire group of entities of interest to a researcher
A professor conducted a statistical study in which he was unable to measure any sample statistics, but he succeeded in determining the population parameters with a very small margin of error. Make sense?
Does not make sense, population parameters are typically inferred from sample statistics. When population parameters are known, sample statistics are not needed and the concept of "margin of error" does not apply.