Sampling and inferential statistics

This chapter explores the working of inferential statistics by explaining what happens when we take a sample from a population. It explores this through a computer simulation and sees how all of this comes together in practical applications. The chapter talks about a sample histogram, median, mean, standard deviation, notation, and a box plot. This is followed by a discussion on normal or Gaussian distribution, which is a particular form for a population histogram. The normal distribution is all about the behaviour of averages. The chapter discusses the standard error concept, which can be extended in relation to any statistic (quantity) calculated from the data. The standard error simply provides indirect information about reliability; it is not something we can use in any specific way, as yet, to tell us where the truth lies.