There are three different sampling methods: random, systematic, and stratified. What are their differences?
Population: Attendees at the game Sample: Random attendees Type of Sample: Random
Practice makes perfect
A group that we want to know more information about is called a population. When a population is too large to survey, statisticians survey a small portion of it to find characteristics that hopefully are representative of the entire group. The part that is surveyed is called a sample.
Let's consider the given situation.
At a high school football game, every spectator places his or her ticket stub in a bowl. After the game, the coach chooses ten people to march in the victory parade.
We can identify the population as the attendees. The sample consists of ten attendees selected randomly. Now, let's consider the different sampling methods.
Name
Sampling Method
Random
Survey a population at random.
Systematic
Select a number n at random. Then survey every nth person.
Stratified
Separate a population into smaller groups, each with a certain characteristic. Then survey at random within each group.
Since we select ten attendees at random, we know that we used a random sampling method.
