Question

a recent telephone poll of 999 randomly selected women revealed that 9 in 10 women believe there has been progress in finding a cure for cancer in the last 27 years. describe the population, sample, population parameters, and sample statistics.

identify the population in the given problem. choose the correct answer below.

a. the 999 women selected
b. 9 out of 10 of the 999 women selected
c. 9 out of 10 women in the country
d. all women in the country

Explanation:

Define the concept of a population

In statistics, the population represents the entire group of individuals or objects that we want to gather information about and draw conclusions on. It is the complete set of interest, which is often too large to measure directly.

Define the concept of a sample

A sample is a subset of the population that is actually selected and from which data is collected. In this scenario, the \(999\) randomly selected women represent this subset, meaning they are the sample.

Identify the target population

The poll is conducted using a sample of \(999\) randomly selected women to make an inference about a larger group. Since the poll is a general telephone poll aiming to understand broader beliefs, the target group we want to draw conclusions about is all women in the country. Therefore, the population is all women in the country.

Evaluate the given options

• A. The 999 women selected: This is the sample, not the population.
• B. 9 out of 10 of the 999 women selected: This represents a sample statistic (the proportion within the sample).
• C. 9 out of 10 women in the country: This represents a population parameter (the inferred proportion of the entire population).
• D. All women in the country: This is the entire group of interest, which represents the population.

Answer:

• (A) The 999 women selected
• (B) 9 out of 10 of the 999 women selected
• (C) 9 out of 10 women in the country
• (D) All women in the country (Correct answer)