Definition
Sampling
Sampling means choosing part of a population to study so it can give information about the whole.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
A sample is a small window onto a bigger group; choose where the window looks.
Boundary: Sampling here is statistical selection, not tasting a product or taking a short piece of music.
What it means
Studying everyone may be too slow, so you study a smaller group. The sample should not be chosen only because it is easy or because it agrees with you. Random selection can reduce selection bias, but the sample still needs the right population and a sensible size.
Remember it
A sample is a small window onto a bigger group; choose where the window looks.
Example
To estimate the favourite fruit of 300 pupils, number every pupil and use a random number generator to choose 30 different numbers. Ask those pupils the same question. Asking only fruit-club members would favour some answers.
Watch for
Sampling here is statistical selection, not tasting a product or taking a short piece of music.
Common mix-up
A large sample can still be biased if the selection method leaves out part of the population.
Exact meaning
Sampling is the process of selecting a subset, called a sample, from a larger population; the selection method affects how representative the sample is and what conclusions about the population are justified.