Question

1. Preliminaries We (the RAF in World War II) want to know the number of warplanes fielded by the Germans. That number is N. The warplanes have serial numbers from 1 to N, so N is also equal to the largest serial number on any of the warplanes. We only see a small number of serial numbers (assumed to be a random sample with replacement from among all the serial numbers), so we have to use estimation. Question 1.1 Is N a population parameter or a statistic? If we use our random sample to compute a number that is an estimate of N, is that a population parameter or a statistic? Write your answer here, replacing this text. Check your answer with a neighbor or a TA. To make the situation realistic, we're going to hide the true number of warplanes from you. You'll have access only to this random sample:

Answer 1

Answer:

N is a population parameter; the estimate of N is a statistic.

Step-by-step explanation:

A measure of a population is called a parameter.  The population is the entire set we are measuring.  In this problem, N is the total number of warplanes fielded by the Germans.  Since it is the total, it is a population, making it a parameter.

A measure of a sample is a statistic.  This means an estimate of N based on a sample would be a statistic.