SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION OF

SAMPLE MEANS
Lesson Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

• illustrate random sampling;
• distinguish between parameter and statistic;
and
• construct sampling distribution of sample
means.
Pre-Assessment A
Pre-Assessment B
Lesson Introduction
Researchers use sampling if taking a census of the entire population
is impractical. Data from the sample are used to calculate statistics,
which are estimates of the corresponding population parameters.

For instance, a sample might be drawn from the population, its

mean is calculated, and this value is used as a statistic or an
estimate for the population mean.

Thus, descriptive measures computed from a population are called

parameters while descriptive measures computed from a sample
are called statistics. We say that the sample mean is an estimate of
the population mean μ.
Discussion Points
Sampling Distribution of Sample Means

• The number of samples of size n that can be drawn from a

population of size N is given by NCn.

• A sampling distribution of sample means is a frequency

distribution using the means computed from all possible
random samples of a specific size taken from a population.

• The probability distribution of the sample means is also called

the sampling distribution of the sample means.
Discussion Points
Steps in Constructing the Sampling Distribution of the Means

1. Determine the number of possible samples that can be

drawn from the population using the formula: NCn
where N = size of the population n = size of the sample

2. List all the possible samples and compute the mean of each
sample.

3. Construct a frequency distribution of the sample means

obtained in Step 2.
Example

A population consists of the numbers 2, 4, 9,

10, and 5.

a. List all possible samples of size 3 from this

population.
b. Compute the mean of each sample.
c. Prepare a sampling distribution of the
sample means.
Solution to Example 1a

The possible samples of size 3 from 2, 4, 9, 10,

and 5 are…
Solution to Example 1b

The mean of each sample are as follows:

Solution to Example 1c
The sampling distribution of the sample means
Exercise 1

Samples of three cards are drawn at random

from a population of eight cards numbered
from 1 to 8.
a. How many possible samples can be drawn?
b. Construct the sampling distribution of
sample means.
Exercise 2

A group of students got the following scores in a

test: 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21. Consider samples
of size 3 that can be drawn from this population.

a. List all the possible samples and the

corresponding mean.
b. Construct the sampling distribution of the
sample means.
Exercise 3

A finite population consists of 8 elements.

10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 12, 18, 40

a. How many samples of size n = 2 can be drawn

from this population?
b. List all the possible samples and the
corresponding means.
c. Construct the sampling distribution of the sample
means.
Summary

A random variable is a function that associates

a real number to each element in the sample
space. It is a variable whose values are
determined by chance.
Summary

• The number of samples of size n that can be drawn from a

population of size N is given by NCn.

• A sampling distribution of sample means is a frequency

distribution using the means computed from all possible
random samples of a specific size taken from a population.

• The probability distribution of the sample means is also called

the sampling distribution of the sample means.
Summary
Steps in Constructing the Sampling Distribution of the Means

1. Determine the number of possible samples that can be

drawn from the population using the formula: NCn
where N = size of the population n = size of the sample

2. List all the possible samples and compute the mean of each
sample.

3. Construct a frequency distribution of the sample means

obtained in Step 2.