Which is the best way to obtain a random sample when surveying a high school with 800 students about what to serve in the cafeteria.
A.Only ask the 11th grade class.
B.Draw a list of 50 students from a bowl with every student's name in it.
C.Ask everyone who takes French class.
D.Ask the first 30 students you meet in the hallway.
What do you think?
I think B.
Yes. B is right.
Thank you Ms. Sue
You are welcome.
The best way to obtain a random sample when surveying a high school with 800 students about what to serve in the cafeteria is option B: drawing a list of 50 students from a bowl with every student's name in it.
Option A (asking only the 11th grade class) would not yield a truly random sample since it is only surveying a specific grade. This could result in a biased sample that does not represent the broader population of the high school.
Option C (asking everyone who takes French class) would also introduce bias since it only targets students who take French class. This would exclude students who do not take French, potentially leading to an unrepresentative sample.
Option D (asking the first 30 students you meet in the hallway) would not be random either. It introduces a selection bias as it solely relies on the students you encounter first. This method is most likely to result in a non-representative sample.
Drawing a random sample from a bowl with every student's name in it (option B) is the best method as it ensures that every student in the high school has an equal chance of being selected. This random selection method helps to minimize bias and increase the likelihood of obtaining a representative sample.