Populations and Samples Flashcards
(9 cards)
1
Q
What is a population?
A
The whole set of items that are of interest.
2
Q
What is a census?
A
A census observes or measures every member of a population.
3
Q
What is a sample?
A
A selection of observations taken from a subset of the population which is used to find out information about the population as a whole.
4
Q
What are the advantages of a census?
A
- It should give a completely accurate result.
5
Q
What are the disadvantages of a census?
A
- Time consuming and expensive
- Cannot be used when the testing process destroys the item
- Hard to process a large quantity of data
6
Q
What are the advantages of a sample?
A
- Less time consuming and expensive than a census
- Fewer people have to respond
- Less data to process than in a census
7
Q
What are the disadvantages of a sample?
A
- The data may not be as accurate
- The sample may not be large enough to give information about small sub-groups of the population
8
Q
What is a sampling unit?
A
Individual units of a population.
9
Q
What is a sampling frame?
A
A named or numbered list of sampling units.
