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10: The Central Limit Theorem

  • Page ID
    140435
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    • 10.1: Introduction
      The central limit theorem states that, given certain conditions, the arithmetic mean of a sufficiently large number of iterates of independent random variables, each with a well-defined expected value and well-defined variance, will be approximately normally distributed.
    • 10.2: The Central Limit Theorem for Sample Means (Averages)
      In a population whose distribution may be known or unknown, if the size (n) of samples is sufficiently large, the distribution of the sample means will be approximately normal. The mean of the sample means will equal the population mean. The standard deviation of the distribution of the sample means, called the standard error of the mean, is equal to the population standard deviation divided by the square root of the sample size (n).
    • 10.3: Using the Central Limit Theorem
      The central limit theorem can be used to illustrate the law of large numbers. The law of large numbers states that the larger the sample size you take from a population, the closer the sample mean <x> gets to μ . The central limit theorem illustrates the law of large numbers.
    • 10.4: Key Terms
    • 10.5: Chapter Review
    • 10.6: Formula Review


    10: The Central Limit Theorem is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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