When we conduct a poll, we aim to make a generalization about the population or units under study. The recent poll of 1971 home owners in West Virginia showed that the average (mean) price of house <em>in the U.S</em><em>.</em> is $319,000.
Recall that this poll was conducted only in West Virginia but the result or finding of the poll is being generalized over the U.S. as a whole. Hence, we are using the sample (fraction) to determine the population (whole) of home owners in the U.S. This is what we call <em>statistical inference or inferential statistics.</em>
