Margin of Error
Definition
The margin of error is a measure of the uncertainty or variability in survey results. It represents the range within which the true population parameter is likely to fall.
Analogy
Imagine you are trying to estimate how many jellybeans are in a jar by asking a few people to guess. The margin of error would be like the range of guesses that you expect will include the actual number of jellybeans.
Related terms
Confidence Interval: A confidence interval is a range of values around an estimated parameter, such as a mean or proportion, that is likely to contain the true population value.
Sample Size: Sample size refers to the number of individuals or observations included in a study or survey.
Sampling Error: Sampling error occurs when there is a discrepancy between sample statistics and population parameters due to random variation in selecting samples from a population.
"Margin of Error" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (8)
AP Statistics - 6.2 Constructing a Confidence Interval for a Population Proportion
AP Statistics - 6.3 Justifying a Claim Based on a Confidence Interval for a Population Proportion
AP Statistics - 6.8 Confidence Intervals for the Difference of Two Proportions
AP Statistics - 7.2 Constructing a Confidence Interval for a Population Mean
AP Statistics - 7.3 Justifying a Claim About a Population Mean Based on a Confidence Interval
AP Statistics - 7.6 Confidence Intervals for the Difference of Two Means
AP Statistics - 7.7 Justifying a Claim About the Difference of Two Means Based on a Confidence Interval
AP Statistics - 9.2 Confidence Intervals for the Slope of a Regression Model
Additional resources (4)
Practice Questions (14)
- Which statistic is used to calculate the margin of error for a confidence interval?
- What does the margin of error represent in a confidence interval?
- What is the "margin of error" in a confidence interval for the difference of two population proportions based on?
- What is the margin of error in a confidence interval for a population mean?
- When constructing a confidence interval for a population mean, increasing the sample size will have what effect on the margin of error?
- Which aspect of the margin of error changes with sample size?
- What is the margin of error in a confidence interval for the difference in two population means?
- When calculating a confidence interval for the difference in two population means, a smaller margin of error indicates...
- The margin of error in a confidence interval for the difference of two means is calculated based on:
- What does a smaller margin of error in a confidence interval for the difference of two means indicate?
- Which of the following is true about the margin of error in a confidence interval for the difference of two means?
- What impact does sample size have on the margin of error?
- In the formula used to calculate the minimum sample size needed to achieve a given margin of error, n = (z / margin of error)^2 * p̂ * (1 - p̂), what value should we use for p̂ if no value is provided by the problem?
- What is the relationship between the width of a confidence interval for a population proportion and the margin of error?
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