Statistical sample | Statistics

A sample is a representative subset of a whole population. A sample is taken from a population for statistical studies.

A sample must be representative for a population, this means that a sample should have the same distribution as the population regarding the property that is of interest. A sample is taken from a population to make statistical surveys economically feasible, it is often economically impossible to perform a survey on an entire population. Some studies involves destruction of products, this precludes studies on an entire population.

Examples of studies in which the test object is destroyed is wine tasting. In statistical studies, the aim is to express an opinion about a population based on a survey of a representative sample.