What does N denote in a data set?

What does N denote in a data set?

• A. Number of observations in a population
• B. Mean of a population
• C. Sum of all observations
• D. Number of observations in a sample

Answer: (A)

Uppercase N denotes the size of the population—the total number of observations in the entire group you’re studying. For example, if there are 1,500 students in a district, N = 1,500. This is different from the sample size, typically denoted by n, which is how many observations you actually collect. The population mean is μ, not N, and the sum of all observations is written as Σx_i or T, not N. So N specifically identifies how many units exist in the population.

Uppercase N denotes the size of the population—the total number of observations in the entire group you’re studying. For example, if there are 1,500 students in a district, N = 1,500. This is different from the sample size, typically denoted by n, which is how many observations you actually collect. The population mean is μ, not N, and the sum of all observations is written as Σx_i or T, not N. So N specifically identifies how many units exist in the population.