Question

How does the formula for the sample mean differ from the formula for population mean? Multiple choice question. To calculate the sample mean, you divide by the sample number plus one. The formulas are functionally the same, but 'n' (the sample size) is used instead of 'N' (the population size). For sample mean, the sum of values is divided by the number of values minus one.

Answer 1

The formulas are functionally the same, but 'n' (the sample size) is used instead of 'N' (the population size).

Explanation:

The sample mean is the average value for a set of observations which is derived from a population. While the population mean is the average value for the entire set of observation belonging to a particular study of interest.

The set of observation belonging to a population is denoted by 'N' ; while the sample size is denoted as 'n' :

The mean formula is written thus :

Population mean = Σx / N

Sample mean = Σx / n

Where, x = set of values.