Explore Random Samples

Ms. Wilson concludes that 85% of the students in the school have at least one pet after she conducts a survey of 25 students in her class. Is this survey a census or a sample?

• census

• sample

• not enough information to tell

• both

Manny wants to know how many students at CTMS enjoy solving math problems. What is the best sampling method?

• ask for 20 volunteers to discuss whether they enjoy solving math problems

• ask the last 20 people to arrive at CTMS 

• Randomly ask 2 students in the hallway

• Ask every 20th student that walks into school

Aaliyah wants to know the average student’s opinion of the tardy policy at her school. Which group of students should she survey in order to achieve the most accurate results?

• thirty students who are often tardy

• thirty students who are rarely tardy

• thirty of her friends

• thirty randomly selected students at school

The manager of the zoo would like to survey its visitors to determine their favorite exhibit. Which sample below would be unbiased?

• 20 random people in the food court

• Every 10th person who enters the zoo

• 50 random people at the tiger exhibit

• 3 people who are buying souvenirs

Which statement best describes a random sample of all students in a middle school?

• Of all the students who are on the track team, the first three to finish a race are selected.

• Of all the students who are in the drama club, every third student on the roster is selected.

• Of all the students who complete an assignment, the first, third, and tenth students are selected.

• Of all the students who attend a school-wide assembly, those sitting in every third seat are selected.

Sample in which each individual or object in the entire population has an equal chance of being selected.

• Simple Event

• Sample

• Random Sample

• Scatter Plot

Which statement best describes a random sample of all students in a middle school?

• Of all the students who are on the track team, the first three to finish a race are selected.

• Of all the students who are in the drama club, every third student on the roster is selected.

• Of all the students who complete an assignment, the first, third, and tenth students are selected.

• Of all the students who attend a school-wide assembly, those sitting in every third seat are selected.

A travel club has 3,000 members. A random sample of 50 of the club members found that 12 people like mountain vacations best. Which statement is NOT supported by the sample data?

• Twenty-four percent of those sampled say they like mountain vacations best.

• An estimated 720 club members would likely say they enjoy mountain vacations best.

• Almost one-quarter of club members would likely say they enjoy mountain vacations best.

• More than 2,500 club members would likely say they prefer other vacations over mountain vacations.

You want to estimate the number of students in a high school who ride the school bus. Which sample is best?

• 4 students in the hallway

• All students in the marching band

• 50 seniors at random

• 100 students at random during lunch

Which one is the sample?

• All books in library

• 10 library books