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In the formula for the sample mean (or for the population mean), the symbol Σ represents

a) all observations.
b) the total number of observations.
c) any operation.
d) the operation of summing all observations.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The symbol Σ in formulas for means represents the operation of summing all observations in a data set.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the formula for the sample mean or for the population mean, the symbol Σ (Greek capital letter sigma) represents the operation of summing all observations.

For example, if you have a data set of numbers, summing these numbers together would involve adding each of them up to get a total. This total is then typically divided by the number of observations to calculate the mean.

The Σ symbol specifically signifies that you should add up all the values in the data set. It does not represent all observations by themselves (as just a collection), the total number of observations (which would be the count of all values), or any operation but specifically the summation operation.

The symbol μ represents the population mean and it is a parameter. In order for the sample mean to be a good estimate of the population mean, the sample needs to be truly random.

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