Definition

Noun: 1. The process or technique of taking a sample: The act of selecting a part of something to represent the whole, especially for testing, analysis, or study. 2. A small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like: The selected items or data points themselves, considered as a group. 3. (Signal Processing) The measurement of a signal's amplitude at regular intervals: The process of converting a continuous analog signal into a series of discrete digital values by measuring its strength at specific points in time. 4. (Statistics) The selection of a subset of individuals from a population: The methodological process of choosing a representative group from a larger population to estimate characteristics of the whole population.

Usage and Examples

• General Use (Taking a Sample):
  • The chef offered sampling of the new soup to customers.
  • Quality control involves the sampling of products from the assembly line.
• Statistics and Research:
  • Random sampling ensures every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.
  • The accuracy of the survey depends heavily on the sampling method used.
• Signal Processing and Music:
  • The audio quality is determined by the sampling rate, measured in kilohertz.
  • The producer used sampling from a vintage record to create the song's beat.

Advanced Usage

• "Sampling distribution" (Statistics): The probability distribution of a statistic obtained from a large number of samples drawn from a specific population.
• "Sampling error": The difference between the results obtained from a sample and the results that would be obtained from the entire population, due to the fact that only a part of the population was surveyed.
• "Convenience sampling": A non-probability sampling technique where subjects are selected because of their convenient accessibility and proximity to the researcher.

Variants and Related Words

• Sample (n/v): The selected part itself (n); to take a sample (v).
  • The lab will sample the water for contaminants.
• Sampler (n): A person or device that takes samples; also, a collection of samples or a digital device used in music.
• Resampling (n): The process of sampling again or applying statistical techniques to an existing sample dataset.

Synonyms

• Selection: The action of carefully choosing something.
• Excerpting: Taking a short extract from a text or piece of music.
• Spot-checking: Making a quick, random examination or test.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "To be a representative sample": To accurately reflect the characteristics of the larger group.
  • We need to ensure our survey group is a representative sample of the city's population.
• "Sampling bias": A bias in which a sample is collected in such a way that some members of the intended population are less likely to be included than others, leading to skewed results.

Noun

1. measurement at regular intervals of the amplitude of a varying waveform (in order to convert it to digital form)
2. items selected at random from a population and used to test hypotheses about the population
3. (statistics) the selection of a suitable sample for study