The act or practice of selecting samples from a lot for the purpose of inspection.<\/p>\n
A technique used in statistics in which a part of a whole is examined with the intent that the results of the examination can be taken as representing the condition of the whole. A large body of theory and experience has been developed as to various sampling methods (methods of drawing samples), and their reliability, that is, the trustworthiness of the projections made from them. In general, the more random the sample, the better (i.e., the more likely the sample will accurately reflect the condition of the whole). One example of sampling involves coal, which is sometimes sold on the basis of its heating value. Small quantities thought to represent the whole are analyzed, and payment is based on these analyses. The same principle is used in polls as to a political candidate’s popularity: a sample of people are questioned and their responses are projected as representative of the whole population from which they were selected (for example, a city). Most skepticism about sampling revolves around whether the sample was a correct one for the purpose.<\/p>\n
The process of selecting a portion or part to represent the whole.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The act or practice of selecting samples from a lot for the purpose of inspection. A technique used in statistics in which a part of a whole is examined with the intent that the results of the examination can be taken as representing the condition of the whole. A large body of theory and experience […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-s"],"yoast_head":"\n