18. You are surveying students to find out their opinion of the quality of food served in the school cafeteria.
You decide to poll only those students who buy hot lunch on a particular day. Is your sample random?
Explain.
No, the sample is not random. Students who buy hot lunch on a particular day may not be representative of the entire student population or those who regularly buy lunch from the cafeteria. The sample may be biased towards those who have a positive opinion of the food or who have enough money to buy lunch that day. A random sample would involve selecting students from the entire student population or a subset of the population using a random selection method, such as a random number generator or a table of random numbers.
can you shorten it
No, the sample is not random. It may be biased towards students with a positive opinion of the cafeteria food or those who have enough money to buy lunch on that particular day. A random sample would involve selecting students from the entire population or a subset using a random selection method.
To determine if the sample of students who buy a hot lunch on a particular day is random, we need to understand the concept of random sampling. Random sampling involves selecting individuals from a population in such a way that each member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen. This ensures that the sample is representative of the entire population and reduces the potential for bias in the results.
In this case, the sample of students who buy hot lunch on a particular day may not be truly random. There are a few factors to consider:
1. Non-inclusion of students who bring packed lunch: By limiting the sample to only students who buy hot lunch, the survey fails to include students who bring their own packed lunch. This exclusion may introduce bias because those who bring their own lunch might have different opinions of the cafeteria food.
2. Limited sample size: The sample might not be large enough to adequately represent the entire student population. If only a few students buy hot lunch on that specific day, the sample may not be diverse enough to provide an accurate representation of all students' opinions.
3. Timing bias: The sample might be biased by the time period chosen for the survey. Students who buy lunch on a specific day might not be representative of the overall student population due to factors such as weather, extracurricular activities, or personal circumstances.
Taking these factors into account, the sample of students who buy hot lunch on a particular day may not be random and might not provide an accurate representation of the entire student population's opinion. A more appropriate approach would be to use random sampling techniques, such as selecting a random sample of students from all grade levels, cafeteria days, and lunch choices to ensure a more unbiased representation.