Outline of a Theory of Statistical Estimation Based on the Classical Theory of Probability

Abstract We shall distinguish two aspects of the problems of estimation . (i) the practical and (ii) the theoretical. The practical aspect may be described as follows: (ia) The statistician is concerned with a population, π, which for some reason or other cannot be studied exhaustively. It is only possible to draw a sample from this population which may be studied in detail and used to form an opinion the values of certain constants describing the properties of the population π. For example, it may be desired to calculate approximately the mean of a certain character possessed by the individuals forming the population π, etc.