Question

a farmer weighs every bushel of corn that was harvested on his farm in 2015. the average weight of all the bushels harvested was 33.7 pounds. which of the following describes this information?
this is a statistic for bushels of corn harvested on his farm in 2015 because he only weighed a small sample of corn bushels.
this is a volunteer sample of corn bushels harvested on his farm in 2015.
this is a parameter for bushels of corn harvested on his farm in 2015 because the entire population of corn bushels was weighed.
none of the above

Explanation:

To determine the correct option, we analyze the concepts of parameter and statistic:

• A parameter describes a characteristic of an entire population. A statistic describes a characteristic of a sample.
• The farmer weighed every bushel of corn (the entire population) harvested in 2015, and the average weight of 33.7 pounds is a characteristic of this entire population.
• The first option is incorrect because it's not a sample (he weighed all bushels). The second option is incorrect as it's not a volunteer sample (he weighed all, not a self - selected group). The third option correctly identifies that since the entire population was weighed, the average is a parameter.

Answer:

C. This is a parameter for bushels of corn harvested on his farm in 2015 because the entire population of corn bushels was weighed.