7 Questions
What is the difference between a parameter and a statistic?
A parameter describes a characteristic of a population, while a statistic describes a characteristic of a sample.
Give an example of a parameter and a statistic from the text.
Parameter: The average amount of time that 4th graders spend studying math each week in the Worthington district. Statistic: The average amount of time that the 50 surveyed nurses work in Columbus.
Explain the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics.
Descriptive statistics describe or summarize data, while inferential statistics make inferences and predictions about a population based on a sample.
Identify the sampling technique used in the study where every seventh engine part is selected from the assembly line and tested for durability.
Systematic sampling
What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics?
Descriptive statistics summarize and organize data, while inferential statistics make predictions or inferences about a population based on a sample.
Identify each study as being either observational or experimental. A researcher stood at a busy intersection to see if the color of the automobile that a person drives is related to running red lights.
Observational
Identify the sampling technique used in the following study: For quality assurance, every seventh engine part is selected from the assembly line and tested for durability.
Systematic sampling
Study Notes
Parameters and Statistics
- A parameter is a characteristic of a population, while a statistic is a characteristic of a sample.
- Example: In a study of engine parts, the population parameter is the average durability of all engine parts, while the sample statistic is the average durability of the selected engine parts.
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
- Descriptive statistics involve describing and summarizing the characteristics of a sample, using measures such as mean, median, and mode.
- Inferential statistics involve making inferences or conclusions about a population based on the results of a sample, using techniques such as hypothesis testing.
Sampling Techniques
- The sampling technique used in the study where every seventh engine part is selected from the assembly line and tested for durability is systematic sampling.
- Systematic sampling involves selecting every nth item from a population, where n is a fixed interval.
Observational and Experimental Studies
- The study where a researcher stood at a busy intersection to observe the relationship between the color of an automobile and running red lights is an observational study.
- An observational study involves observing and recording data without manipulating any variables, whereas an experimental study involves manipulating one or more variables to observe their effect on a outcome.
Test your understanding of population, sample, parameter, and statistic with these questions. Identify the population and sample in given scenarios and determine whether numerical values describe parameters or statistics.
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