ABSTRACT
The distribution of a random variable is a mathematical abstraction of the possible outcomes of an experiment. Indeed, having identified a random variable of interest, we will often refer to its distribution as the population. If one’s goal is to represent an entire population, then one can hardly do better than to display its entire probability mass or density function. Usually, however, one is interested in specific attributes of a population. This is true if only because it is through specific attributes that one comprehends the entire population, but it is also easier to draw inferences about a specific population attribute than about the entire population. Accordingly, this chapter examines several population attributes that are useful in statistics.
