Final answer:
A numerical descriptive measure calculated from the sample is called a statistic, while a measure calculated from the entire population is a parameter. When the U.S. federal government surveys a sample of high school seniors and finds that 50% plan to attend college, that 50% is a statistic.
Step-by-step explanation:
A numerical descriptive measure calculated from the sample is called a statistic. When you have data from an entire population and calculate a numerical characteristic, you are finding a parameter. An example that illustrates the difference is: Imagine a high school where we have every student's final grades; calculating the overall average grade from this whole group would give us a parameter. However, if we only took a sample, say one math class, and calculated the average grade from those students, we would then have a statistic.
In the scenario where the U.S. federal government conducts a survey of high school seniors about their education plans, and they found that 50% were planning to attend a four-year college or university, this figure would represent a statistic since it is based on a sample of the entire population of high school seniors.