Population

The word population has a number of distinct but closely related meanings in statistics.

1. A finite and actually existing group of objects which, although possibly large, can be enumerated in theory (e.g., people living in the United States).

2. A generalization from experience which is indefinitely large (e.g., the total number of throws that might conceivably by made in unlimited time with a particular pair of dice). Any actual set of throws can then be regarded as a sample drawn from this practically infinite population.

3. A purely hypothetically population which can be completely described mathematically.

REFERENCES:

Kenney, J. F. and Keeping, E. S. "Populations and Samples." §7.1 in Mathematics of Statistics, Pt. 1, 3rd ed. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, pp. 90-91, 1962.