Biology 2244A/B Study Guide - Normal Distribution, Simple Random Sample, Interval Estimation
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Bio 2244b- textbook notes chapter 6: 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. The two major applications of inferential statistics involve the use of sample data to: estimate the value of a population parameter, test some claim (or hypothesis) about a population. This section only considers cases in which the normal distribution can be used to approximate the sampling distribution of sampling proportions. We know that different samples naturally produce different results, but this section assumes that those sample differences are due to chance random fluctuations, not some unsound method of sampling. If we want to estimate a population proportion with a single value, the best estimate is p. Because p consists of a single value, it is called a point estimate. Point estimate: a single value (or point) used to approximate a population parameter. The sample proportion p is the best estimate of the population proportion p.
