Differentiate between population and sample with examples
In statistics, population and sample refer to two different groups of individuals or observations that are being studied.
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Population: A population is the entire group of individuals or objects that share at least one common characteristic and are of interest to the researcher. The population may be finite or infinite, and it includes all possible units that fit the criteria. For example, if we are interested in studying the average height of all adult males in Pakistan, then the population would be all adult males in Pakistan.
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Sample: A sample is a subset of the population that is selected for observation or study. It is a smaller group of individuals or objects that are representative of the population and is used to draw inferences about the entire population. For example, if we are interested in studying the average height of all adult males in Pakistan, measuring the height of every male in the country might not be feasible. Instead, we could select a sample of males from different regions or states to represent the population.
Here are some examples to illustrate the difference between population and sample:
Example 1: Suppose a researcher wants to investigate the average income of all households in a particular city. The population, in this case, would be all households in that city. However, surveying every single household in the city may need to be more practical and feasible. Instead, the researcher might choose to survey a sample of households, such as every 10th household on a particular street, or a random sample of households across the city.
Example 2: A company wants to improve its customer service, so it conducts a survey to find out what customers think about the company's current service. In this case, the population would be all company customers. However, it may not be feasible to survey every single customer. Instead, the company might choose to survey a sample of customers who recently interacted with the company, such as those who made a purchase or reached out to customer service for assistance.
In summary, the population refers to the entire group of individuals or objects of interest to the researcher. At the same time, the sample is a smaller subset of that population that is selected for observation or study.
