In a study of high school students in Florida, the average monthly cell phone bill would be an example of a ______.

In a study of high school students in Florida, the average monthly cell phone bill would be an example of a ______.

• A. Sample
• B. Statistic
• C. Population
• D. Parameter

Answer: (D)

A parameter is a numeric description that refers to the entire population. Here, the average monthly cell phone bill for all high school students in Florida would describe the whole population of interest, not just a subset. That makes it a parameter. If you had only collected data from a sample of students and reported their average, that would be a statistic. The terms population and sample describe who is being described, while parameter and statistic describe the type of numeric summary.

A parameter is a numeric description that refers to the entire population. Here, the average monthly cell phone bill for all high school students in Florida would describe the whole population of interest, not just a subset. That makes it a parameter. If you had only collected data from a sample of students and reported their average, that would be a statistic. The terms population and sample describe who is being described, while parameter and statistic describe the type of numeric summary.