In Exercises 5–12, identify whether the given value is a statisti...

1. Intro to Stats and Collecting Data

Intro to Stats

Statistics

1. Intro to Stats and Collecting Data

Intro to Stats

1:51 minutes

Problem 1.2.10

Textbook Question

In Exercises 5–12, identify whether the given value is a statistic or a parameter.
Smart Phones In a Pew Research Center poll, a sample of adults in the United States was obtained, and it was found that 72% of them own smart phones.

Verified step by step guidance

Understand the difference between a statistic and a parameter: A statistic is a numerical measurement describing some characteristic of a sample, while a parameter is a numerical measurement describing some characteristic of a population.

Identify the group being described: In this problem, the group being described is a sample of adults in the United States.

Identify the numerical value given: The problem states that 72% of the sample owns smart phones.

Determine if the value is describing a sample or a population: Since the 72% is derived from a sample of adults, it is describing a characteristic of a sample.

Conclude whether the value is a statistic or a parameter: Since the value describes a sample, it is a statistic.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Statistic

A statistic is a numerical value that describes a characteristic of a sample, which is a subset of a larger population. In this context, the 72% figure represents the proportion of smart phone ownership among the sampled adults, making it a statistic because it is derived from a specific group rather than the entire population.

Parameter

A parameter is a numerical value that describes a characteristic of an entire population. It is a fixed value that is often unknown and can only be estimated through sample statistics. If the 72% ownership rate were known for all adults in the United States, it would be considered a parameter.

Sampling

Sampling is the process of selecting a subset of individuals from a larger population to estimate characteristics of the whole population. The Pew Research Center poll used a sample of adults to determine the percentage of smart phone ownership, highlighting the importance of sampling in making inferences about broader trends based on limited data.

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In Exercises 5–12, identify whether the given value is a statistic or a parameter.Smart Phones In a Pew Research Center poll, a sample of adults in the United States was obtained, and it was found that 72% of them own smart phones.