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Example 1.14 from Statistics, 1.2 Data, Sampling, and Variation in Data and Sampling
a. Do you think that either of these samples is representative of (or is characteristic of) the entire 10,000 part-time student population?
Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.
a. No. The first sample probably consists of science-oriented students. Besides the chemistry course, some of them are also taking first-term calculus. Books for these classes tend to be expensive. Most of these students are, more than likely, paying more than the average part-time student for their books. The second sample is a group of seniors who are, more than likely, taking courses for health and interest. The amount of money they spend on books is probably much less than the average part-time student. Both samples are biased. Also, in both cases, not all students have a chance to be in either sample.
How did it go?