Which term describes a numerical value computed from sample data to estimate a population parameter?

Which term describes a numerical value computed from sample data to estimate a population parameter?

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

Answer: (A)

This question hinges on the difference between a statistic and an estimator. A statistic is the actual numerical value you obtain from a sample data set that you use to infer something about the population. For example, if you compute the sample mean from your data, that specific number is a statistic and it serves as an estimate of the population mean. The estimator, on the other hand, is the rule or method you apply to turn sample data into an estimate—the same sample mean is the estimator applied to a particular sample, and the resulting number is the statistic. A population parameter is the true, fixed value you’re trying to estimate, which you don’t know, and a variable is any measurable attribute. So the described concept—being a numerical value computed from sample data to estimate a population parameter—maps to statistic.

This question hinges on the difference between a statistic and an estimator. A statistic is the actual numerical value you obtain from a sample data set that you use to infer something about the population. For example, if you compute the sample mean from your data, that specific number is a statistic and it serves as an estimate of the population mean. The estimator, on the other hand, is the rule or method you apply to turn sample data into an estimate—the same sample mean is the estimator applied to a particular sample, and the resulting number is the statistic. A population parameter is the true, fixed value you’re trying to estimate, which you don’t know, and a variable is any measurable attribute. So the described concept—being a numerical value computed from sample data to estimate a population parameter—maps to statistic.