Confidence intervals

Abstract

Data are often collected from a sample of a population in order to estimate characteristics about the entire population. For example, times to failure for a sample of light bulbs produced in a lot may be assessed to estimate the longevity of all the light bulbs produced. Another example is in production of a product where manufactured goods are periodically sampled to estimate the defect rate of the total population. Sample acceptance testing can also be conducted at the receipt of goods in order to assess and estimate the ability of the entire lot to meet specifications.