What is the definition of estimating regarding to math?

Answer 1

I think this is an important question. There are a number of similar words: estimate, estimating, estimator, and estimand.

An estimate is a non-exact result. If I calculate a value from a sample of data, I can state that the value is an estimate of a larger set of uncollected data (a population).

For example, if I take a sample of 20 numbers, and calculate the average, the number is exact. However, this average may be close to the mean of population. The average in mathematics is called an estimator of the population's mean.

I've included a related link. Don't worry if you don't understand a lot of it. It shows a lot of different types of estimators exists, and the subject is quite mathematical.

Estimating is the process of making an estimate.

An estimand is the particular value or attribute in the population which we want to know as well as we can. It is the objective of the study. I want to know how many years the average cat lives ("the estimand"). Obviously, I will never know this precisely, but I collect data, and make estimates of the estimand.

See related links.