4-1 Samples and Surveys

The Great and Mighty Mr. G

 Samples and surveys
• Important vocabulary you will NEED to
KNOW
• Population
• Sample
• Biased sample
• Random sample
• Systematic sample
• Stratified sample
 A fitness magazine printed a readers’
survey. Statements 1, 2, and 3 are
interpretations of the results. Which do you
think the magazine would use?
• 1. The average American exercises 3 times a week.
• 2. The average reader of this magazine exercises 3
times a week.
• 3. The average reader who responded to the survey
exercises 3 times a week.
• The population is the entire group being studied.
• The sample is the part of the population being
surveyed.
• For statement 1, the population is all of America and
the sample is readers of the fitness magazine.
• This is a biased sample because it is not a fair
representation of the population.
 Identify the population and
sample and tell why it could be
biased.
• A record store manager asks
costumers who make a purchase,
how many hours of music they listen
to each day.
Population Sample Possible bias

Costumers who
Music store Costumers who
make a purchase
costumers make a purchase
might be more
interested in music
than others in a
store
 Identify the population and
sample and tell why it could be
biased.
• An 8th grade student council member
polls classmates about a new school
mascot.
Population Sample Possible bias

He/she polls more

Students in school classmates
8th graders than
students in other
grades
 Identify the population and
sample and tell why it could be
biased.
• A television reporter asks people on
downtown streets if they support the
new subway system.
Population Sample Possible bias

People who work

People in the city People on the
downtown might
downtown streets
show more support
than people who
work elsewhere
 Sampling methods
• To get accurate information, it is
important to use a good sampling
method.
Sampling method How members are chosen

Random By chance

Systematic According to a rule or

formula
Stratified At random from
randomly chosen
subgroups
 Sampling methods
• Identify the sampling method
• A. An exit poll is taken of every tenth voter.
• Systematic because the rule is to question every
tenth voter
• B. In a statewide survey, five counties are randomly
chosen and 100 people are randomly chosen from each
county.
• Stratified because the 5 counties are the random
subgroups, people are chosen randomly from within
the counties
• C. Students in a class write their names on strips of
paper and put them in a hat. The teacher draws five
names.
• Random because the names are chosen by chance
practice
practice