Assign an integer to each student and then use a random number generator.
See solution.
Practice makes perfect
We are given that the staff of a student newsletter wants to conduct a survey to examine which television shows are student's favorites. To conduct a survey they would like to use a random sample of 250 students out of 1225 students in the school.
Sample:& 250
Population:& 1225Since we want to select a random sample, we will use the random number generator in a graphing calculator. To do so, we will assign each student a different integer between 1 and 1225. Then we will generate 250 random numbers that will correspond to the students chosen for our survey. Let's push the MATH button. Then scroll left to the PRB menu and choose the fifth option, randInt(.
After choosing this option, enter the minimum and maximum values of the set. Next, push ENTER and generate 250 unique numbers. Notice that if we obtain a duplicate we should ignore it and replace it with a new unique integer.
Our sample will be made of students that were assigned to the generated numbers. Therefore, by using a random number generator in a graphing calculator, we were able to select a random sample for the given situation.
