This simple confidence interval calculator uses a t statistic and sample mean (M) to generate an interval estimate of a population mean (μ). The formula for estimation is:, To calculate a confidence interval follow these simple 4 steps: Step 1: Identify the sample problem. Define the population parameter you want to estimate e.g., mean height of students. Choose the right statistic such as the sample mean. Step 2: Select a confidence level., What we can do is use statistics from the sample to calculate a confidence interval (abbreviated CI). Roughly speaking, a confidence Interval is a range of values we are fairly sure contains the true value of the parameter we are estimating., So far, we have shown that the formula: x ¯ ± z α / 2 (σ n) is appropriate for finding a confidence interval for a population mean if two conditions are met: X 1, X 2, …, X n are normally distributed., In statistics, the t -distribution is most often used to: Find the critical values for a confidence interval when the data is approximately normally distributed. Find the corresponding p -value from a statistical test that uses the t -distribution (t -tests, regression analysis)., To construct a confidence interval for population means using the t-distribution, the following steps must be followed: Step 1: Verify the conditions necessary for inference. Step 2: Calculate the confidence interval. Step 3: Interpret the confidence interval..