Sampling Distribution of Mean

Suppose μ\mu is the population mean and nn samples are drawn, each having the mean of x‾i\overline{x}_i. The values of xix_i are the sampling distribution of mean.

Used to estimate population mean μ\mu, and calculate confidence intervals.

Mean

Average of all sample means x‾i\overline{x}_i, denoted as x‾\overline{x}, is μ\mu.

Standard Error

Also known as standard deviation (not common though).

σx‾=σn\sigma_{\overline{x}} = \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}}

Decreases as sample size increases.

Approx. to Normal Distribution

If the below conditions are met:

  • The population is normally distributed OR the sample size is large enough.
  • The population standard deviation σ\sigma is known.

Then:

x‾∼N(μ,σn)\overline{x} \sim N \left(\mu, \frac{\sigma} {\sqrt{n}} \right)
Written by October 17, 2026 1 min read
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