konfidenssivahemik

Konfidenssivahemik is the Estonian term for confidence interval. A confidence interval is a range of values derived from sample statistics that is likely to contain the value of an unknown population parameter. It is a measure of the uncertainty associated with estimating a population parameter from a sample.

The confidence level, usually expressed as a percentage (e.g., 95%), indicates the probability that the confidence interval will contain the true population parameter if the same sampling procedure were repeated many times. A higher confidence level results in a wider interval, reflecting greater certainty but less precision.

To construct a confidence interval, one needs a point estimate of the parameter (e.g., the sample mean) and a measure of the variability of that estimate, typically the standard error. The interval is then calculated by adding and subtracting a margin of error from the point estimate. The margin of error depends on the confidence level and the standard error.

Confidence intervals are widely used in statistical inference to provide a range of plausible values for population parameters, such as means, proportions, or differences between groups. They help researchers understand the precision of their estimates and make informed conclusions about the population based on sample data. For example, a 95% confidence interval for the average height of adult men might be 175 cm to 178 cm, suggesting that we are 95% confident that the true average height of all adult men falls within this range.