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Glite Dictionary
random sample

random sample

5 3.4
A group of people or things that each has an equal chance of being picked
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : muestra aleatoria
  • Then this would be a simple random sample because then every single group of five people in the class has an equal chance.
  • a stratified random sample
  • a systematic random sample
  • a simple random sample

Once you know the size, you choose a random sample from the population.

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Examples

  • Further research should replicate this study with a random sample selected from a more diverse population of students.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Methods: A total of 800 surveys were sent to a national random sample of high school health teachers, and 50% responded.

    Academic text (2012)

  • If not, we take another random sample and we do this operation again.

  • The subjects were selected through the use of a random sample of all the members belonging to their state's association.

    Academic text (1996)

  • A large random sample is a great proxy for the entire world, but many studies are small and the sample is far from random.

  • In the third step of our sampling plan, a random sample from the population of HIV/AIDS stories was drawn.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The 72 White and 40 African American respondents were selected through a random sample of a metropolitan area in Virginia.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The survey by ResearchUSA, Inc. was based on a random sample of 423 ABA members.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The poll was conducted on Aug. 9-12, with a random sample of 1,012 American adults.

    Blog text (10)

  • The researchers chose a random sample of participants to ensure that everyone had an equal chance of being selected.

How Random

random sample
  • Specialized
5 3.4
stratified sample
  • Specialized
5.4
representative sampling
  • Specialized
1 5.9

Surface Forms

random sample singular
random samples plural

Morphology

random + sample

The meaning is directly compositional: 'random' (without method/by chance) modifies 'sample' (a portion), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer 'a sample selected by chance.' This construction is common across many languages, making the relation immediately understandable.

Etymology

Random sample comes from the simple idea of picking names from a hat. A sample is a small group and random means chosen by chance. If you draw names without looking, every person has an 'equal chance of being chosen', so the small group you get can represent the whole group.