Chapter 5 introduced a framework for statistical inference based on confidence intervals and hypotheses. Chapter 6 summarized inference procedures for categorical data (counts and proportions). In this chapter, we focus on inference procedures for numerical data and we encounter several new point estimates and scenarios. In each case, the inference ideas remain the same:

1. Determine which point estimate or test statistic is useful.

2. Identify an appropriate distribution for the point estimate or test statistic.

3. Apply the ideas from Chapter 5 using the distribution from step 2.

Each section in Chapter 7 explores a new situation: a single mean Section 7.1, the mean of differences Section 7.2, the difference between meansSection 7.3; and the comparison of means across multiple groupsSection 7.4.