Question

A student would like to estimate the mean length of words in a book report he just finished writing. He selects a random sample of 20 words and determines the mean length to be 4 characters. Later, he discovers how to use a built-in function of his word-processing program that reveals that the mean length of all words in his book report is 4.3 characters. Which of the following describes the number, 4.3?

sample
statistic
population
parameter

Answer 1

Parameter

Explanation:

A statistic is a piece of data we derive from analyzing the data from a sample, a subset of a larger population. A parameter is derived from analyzing that population. Here, we would call the mean of the sample - 4 - a statistic, and the mean of the population - 4.3 - a parameter.