Page 24 - Quality control of pharmaceuticals (07-PA 704)
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The population mean (for large number of experiments) is the most
frequently occuring value, and may be regarded as the true value( T )
of the measured quantity.
Samples and Populations
The Population Mean μ and the Sample Mean x
Scientists find it useful to differentiate between the sample mean and the
population mean. The sample mean x is the arithmetic average
of a limited sample drawn from a population of data.
The population mean μ, in contrast, is the true mean for the population. In
the absence of systematic error, the population mean is also the true
value for the measured quantity.
To emphasize the difference between the two means, the sample mean is
symbolized by x and the population mean by μ.
Distribution Descriptives
The data distribution can be described with four characteristics:
Measures of Central Tendency
Measures of dispersion
Skewness
Kurtosis
Measures of Central Tendency – Arithmetic Mean