Meaning & use
random sampling
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Meaning
noununcountabletechnicalspecialist
A method of choosing a sample in which every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected.
Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or 'an', e.g., 'Random sampling is important.'
Patterns
- random sampling of something
- use random sampling
- by random sampling
The researchers used random sampling to select 500 participants from the city.
Random sampling helps ensure that the results are representative of the whole population.
Without random sampling, the study might suffer from selection bias.
Common combinations
- simple random sampling
- Simple random sampling is the most basic form of probability sampling.
- random sampling method
- The random sampling method was explained in the methodology section.
- random sampling technique
- We applied a random sampling technique to avoid bias.
- stratified random sampling
- Stratified random sampling divides the population into subgroups before sampling.
Synonyms and how they differ
- probability sampling
- Probability sampling is a broader term that includes random sampling and other methods where each element has a known chance of selection.
Opposites
Word family
- random sample noun
- The subset selected by random sampling.
- randomize verb
- To arrange or select in a random order.
Commonly confused: random sampling or convenience sampling?
random sampling vs convenience sampling
Convenience sampling selects participants who are easy to reach, which can introduce bias, unlike random sampling.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'random sampling' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Random sampling' is uncountable, so it does not take 'a' or 'the' in this context, and it is not used in the plural. Option B is correct.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “random sampling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.