Population, sample and sampling techniquesEdexcel A-Level Maths: Mind map

Exam questions on Population, sample and sampling techniques

1. A college has 900 students: 540 in Year 12 and 360 in Year 13. The principal wants to find out opinion on a new timetable by asking a sample of 60 students.
   State one advantage and one disadvantage of using a sample rather than a census in this investigation.2 marks
2. A factory produces 2000 bottles each day, numbered 1 to 2000 in order of production. A quality controller takes a systematic sample of 80 bottles, choosing the starting bottle at random from the first interval.
   The bottling machine has 25 filling nozzles used in turn, and the 7th nozzle is faulty. Explain why the controller's sample may give a misleading picture of the proportion of faulty bottles.2 marks
3. A market researcher wants to find out how adults in a town feel about a new bus service. She stands outside the railway station on a Monday morning and interviews the first 20 men and the first 20 women who pass and agree to answer.
   Name the sampling method used and give two reasons why the sample may not be representative of adults in the town.3 marks