Statistical Reasoning

Abstract

It often occurs that for theoretical or practical reasons we need to know statistical properties of a set of objects such that not all its elements can be examined. We then rest statisfied with examining some of its elements only, and we infer about the statistical property of the whole set on the strength of the data thus acquired. Such inference is called statistical inference. The whole set S some of the statistical properties of which we want to know is usually termed a population, and its proper subset consisting of those elements whose properties are known is called a sample of that population.