Final answer:
In the provided study, 55% of all 4282 students owning a television represents a parameter since it describes the entire population of the college. A statistic, in contrast, is derived from a sample rather than the entire population.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the study described, where it is found that 55% of all 4282 students at a college own a television, this figure represents a parameter, not a statistic. A parameter is a numerical value that describes a characteristic of a population. Since the study encompasses all of the students at the college (the entire population of interest), the percentage is a parameter. In contrast, a statistic would represent a characteristic if only a sample of the population was studied.
Examples of parameter and statistic
A statistic would be calculated if, for instance, we surveyed a random sample of 300 of these college students and found that 60% of them owned a television. The 60% in this case would be a statistic because it is derived from a sample, not the entire population.
As another example, if we are considering the peace of statement in Example 1.1 where 100 high school students are surveyed to know the mean amount of extracurricular activities, the mean calculated from this sample will be a statistic because it is derived from a subset of the entire population.