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Explain the difference between a population characteristic and a statistic.

Short Answer

Expert verified
A population characteristic is a fixed but typically unknown value that relates to the entire population, while a statistic is a variable value relating to a sample from the population and is used to estimate population characteristics.

Step by step solution

01

Define Population Characteristic

A 'population characteristic', also known as a parameter, refers to a measurable attribute of an entire population. Population characteristics include things like the population mean, population proportion, or population standard deviation. Since the attribute is derived from the entire population, it's considered a fixed value and is usually unknown because we can't measure the entire population.
02

Define Statistic

A 'statistic' is a characteristic of a sample drawn from the population. This includes things like the sample mean or sample variance. Since samples vary, the statistic is a variable that changes from sample to sample.
03

Highlight the Difference

The main difference between a population characteristic and a statistic is this: a population characteristic is a fixed but typically unknown value that relates to the entire population. In contrast, a statistic is a measurable characteristic of a sample (sub-group) from the population, and can vary depending on the characteristics of the sample. Therefore, statistics are often used to estimate population characteristics.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A random sample is selected from a population with mean \(\mu=100\) and standard deviation \(\sigma=10 .\) Determine the mean and standard deviation of the \(\bar{x}\) sampling distribution for each of the following sample sizes: a. \(n=9\) b. \(n=15\) c. \(n=36\) d. \(n=50\) e. \(n=100\) f. \(n=400\)

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The thickness (in millimeters) of the coating applied to disk drives is a characteristic that determines the usefulness of the product. When no unusual circumstances are present, the thickness \((x)\) has a normal distribution with a mean of \(3 \mathrm{~mm}\) and a standard deviation of \(0.05\) \(\mathrm{mm}\). Suppose that the process will be monitored by selecting a random sample of 16 drives from each shift's production and determining \(\bar{x}\), the mean coating thickness for the sample. a. Describe the sampling distribution of \(\bar{x}\) (for a sample of size 16). b. When no unusual circumstances are present, we expect \(\bar{x}\) to be within \(3 \sigma_{\bar{x}}\) of \(3 \mathrm{~mm}\), the desired value. An \(\bar{x}\) value farther from 3 than \(3 \sigma_{\bar{x}}\) is interpreted as an indication of a problem that needs attention. Compute \(3 \pm 3 \sigma_{\bar{x}}\). (A plot over time of \(\bar{x}\) values with horizontal lines drawn at the limits \(\mu \pm 3 \sigma_{\bar{x}}\) is called a process control chart.) c. Referring to Part (b), what is the probability that a sample mean will be outside \(3 \pm 3 \sigma_{\bar{x}}\) just by chance (i.e., when there are no unusual circumstances)? d. Suppose that a machine used to apply the coating is out of adjustment, resulting in a mean coating thickness of \(3.05 \mathrm{~mm}\). What is the probability that a problem will be detected when the next sample is taken? (Hint: This will occur if \(\bar{x}>3+3 \sigma_{\bar{x}}\) or \(\bar{x}<3-3 \sigma_{\bar{x}}\) when \(\mu=\) 3.05.)

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