Simple Random Sampling

Simple Random Sample
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What is a 'Simple Random Sample'

A simple random sample is a subset of a statistical population in which each
member of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen. An example of a
simple random sample would be the names of 25 employees being chosen out of
a hat from a company of 250 employees. In this case, the population is all 250
employees, and the sample is random because each employee has an equal
chance of being chosen.
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1. SAMPLE
2. SAMPLING
3. SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION
4.
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BREAKING DOWN 'Simple Random Sample'
Researchers can create a simple random sample using a couple of methods.
With a lottery method, each member of the population is assigned a number,
after which numbers are selected at random. The example in which the names of
25 employees out of 250 are chosen out of a hat is an example of the lottery
method at work. Each of the 250 employees would be assigned a number
between 1 and 250, after which 25 of those numbers would be chosen at
random.
For larger populations, a manual lottery method can be quite onerous. Selecting
a random sample from a large population usually requires a computer-generated
process, by which the same methodology as the lottery method is used, only the
number assignments and subsequent selections are performed by computers,
not humans.
Simple Random Sample Advantages

Ease of use represents the biggest advantage of simple random sampling. Unlike
more complicated sampling methods such as stratified random sampling and
probability sampling, no need exists to divide the population into subpopulations
or take any other additional steps before selecting members of the population at
random.
A simple random sample is meant to be an unbiased representation of a group. It

is considered a fair way to select a sample from a larger population, since every
member of the population has an equal chance of getting selected.
Simple Random Sample Disadvantages

A sampling error can occur with a simple random sample if the sample does not
end up accurately reflecting the population it is supposed to represent. For
example, in our simple random sample of 25 employees, it would be possible to
draw 25 men even if the population consisted of 125 women and 125 men. For
this reason, simple random sampling is more commonly used when the
researcher knows little about the population. If the researcher knew more, it
would be better to use a different sampling technique, such as stratified random
sampling, which helps to account for the differences within the population, such
as age, race or gender.
In statistics, a simple random sample is a subset of individuals (a sample) chosen from
a larger set (a population). Each individual is chosen randomly and entirely by chance,
such that each individual has the same probabilityof being chosen at any stage during
the sampling process, and each subset of kindividuals has the same probability of being
chosen for the sample as any other subset of k individuals.[1] This process and
technique is known as simple random sampling, and should not be confused
with systematic random sampling. A simple random sample is an unbiased surveying
technique.
Simple random sampling is a basic type of sampling, since it can be a component of
other more complex sampling methods. The principle of simple random sampling is that
every object has the same probability of being chosen. For example, suppose N college
students want to get a ticket for a basketball game, but there are only X < N tickets for
them, so they decide to have a fair way to see who gets to go. Then, everybody is given
a number in the range from 0 to N-1, and random numbers are generated, either
electronically or from a table of random numbers. Numbers outside the range from 0
to N-1 are ignored, as are any numbers previously selected. The first X numbers would
identify the lucky ticket winners.
In small populations and often in large ones, such sampling is typically done "without
replacement", i.e., one deliberately avoids choosing any member of the population
more than once. Although simple random sampling can be conducted with replacement
instead, this is less common and would normally be described more fully as simple
random sampling with replacement. Sampling done without replacement is no longer
independent, but still satisfies exchangeability, hence many results still hold. Further, for
a small sample from a large population, sampling without replacement is approximately
the same as sampling with replacement, since the odds of choosing the same individual
twice is low.
An unbiased random selection of individuals is important so that if a large number of
samples were drawn, the average sample would accurately represent the population.
However, this does not guarantee that a particular sample is a perfect representation of
the population. Simple random sampling merely allows one to draw externally valid
conclusions about the entire population based on the sample.
Conceptually, simple random sampling is the simplest of the probability sampling

techniques. It requires a complete sampling frame, which may not be available or
feasible to construct for large populations. Even if a complete frame is available, more
efficient approaches may be possible if other useful information is available about the
units in the population.
Advantages are that it is free of classification error, and it requires minimum advance
knowledge of the population other than the frame. Its simplicity also makes it relatively
easy to interpret data collected in this manner. For these reasons, simple random
sampling best suits situations where not much information is available about the
population and data collection can be efficiently conducted on randomly distributed
items, or where the cost of sampling is small enough to make efficiency less important
than simplicity. If these conditions do not hold, stratified sampling or cluster
sampling may be a better choice.

Simple Random Sampling

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Simple Random Sample

What is a 'Simple Random Sample'

Simple Random Sample Advantages

A simple random sample is meant to be an unbiased representation of a group. It

Simple Random Sample Disadvantages

Conceptually, simple random sampling is the simplest of the probability sampling

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