Confidence interval

An interval estimate of a population parameter. A confidence interval is therefore an interval of values calculated from a random sample taken from the population, for which any number in the interval is a possible value for a population parameter.

The word "confidence" is used in the term because the method that produces the confidence interval has a specified success rate (confidence level) for the percentage of times such intervals contain the true value of the population parameter in the long run. 95% is commonly used as the confidence level.

Curriculum achievement objectives reference

Statistical investigation: Level 8

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