ESS210B
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
Variables
and Samples
qRandom
Variable: A variable whose values occur at random, following a probability
distribution.
qObservation: When the random variable actually
attains a value, that value is called an observation (of the variable).
qSample: A collection of several
observations is called sample. If the observations are generated in a random fashion with no bias, that sample
is known as a random sample.
By observing the
distribution of values in a random sample, we can draw conclusions
about the underlying probability distribution.