The term used for a computed value that estimates a population parameter is

The term used for a computed value that estimates a population parameter is

• A. Parameter
• B. Variable
• C. Estimate
• D. Statistic

Answer: (C)

In estimation, the quantity you obtain from a sample that is used to infer a population value is called the estimate. The population parameter is the true value of interest, but it’s usually unknown. When you collect data and compute a number from that data—like the sample mean or sample proportion—that number serves as a point estimate of the corresponding population parameter. The rule or formula you use to get that number is called the estimator (for example, the sample mean is the estimator of the population mean). So the computed value you report as the inference about the population parameter is the estimate. The other terms have different roles: a parameter is the real population value; a variable is a measured characteristic; a statistic is any computed summary from the sample, which can be used as an estimate but isn’t the term that specifically denotes the inferred value.

In estimation, the quantity you obtain from a sample that is used to infer a population value is called the estimate. The population parameter is the true value of interest, but it’s usually unknown. When you collect data and compute a number from that data—like the sample mean or sample proportion—that number serves as a point estimate of the corresponding population parameter. The rule or formula you use to get that number is called the estimator (for example, the sample mean is the estimator of the population mean). So the computed value you report as the inference about the population parameter is the estimate. The other terms have different roles: a parameter is the real population value; a variable is a measured characteristic; a statistic is any computed summary from the sample, which can be used as an estimate but isn’t the term that specifically denotes the inferred value.