Glossary · Phase 2 · Math, when you need it
Standard error
How much an estimate from a sample would wobble if you took a fresh sample. Bigger samples give smaller standard errors.
Learn it properly
Samples and confidence · Estimate from a sample and say how sure you are. About 30 minutes.
Other terms from the same lesson
- bootstrap: Estimating uncertainty by resampling your own data, with replacement, many times and seeing how much the answer moves.
- confidence interval: A range that probably contains the true value, given the data you sampled.
- margin of error: The plus-or-minus around an estimate, such as 3.2% ± 0.8%. It is usually about two standard errors.
- resample: Draw a new sample from your data, picking rows at random with replacement, to mimic collecting fresh data.