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Statistical sample

A statistical sample is one or more observations selected or generated from a population or probability process for analysis.

How 7 Manning books explain it

Modern C

A statistical sample is a finite collection of observations drawn from a phenomenon or population.

How it is used
Supports performance assessment by collecting repeated code timings rather than relying on one measurement.
How deep it goes
Shows timing collection and summary statistics, but does not develop experimental measurement in full detail.
Examples
Uses repeated loop timings, a frequency histogram, and printed means with relative standard deviations.
What you can do after
Apply it via timespec_diff and stats_collect2 to collect elapsed-time observations and assess their summaries cautiously.

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Modern C, Third Edition

A statistical sample is a finite collection of observed values drawn from a phenomenon or experiment.

How it is used
Supports performance assessment by grouping repeated timing observations for statistical inspection.
How deep it goes
Shows collection, summary statistics, and a histogram, while leaving complexity proofs and a full treatment of measurement outside scope.
Examples
Uses repeated C timings, statistics-collection calls, printed timing summaries, and a frequency histogram.
What you can do after
Diagnose/debug with it by comparing timing summaries while checking whether variation and instrumentation undermine a performance claim.

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Grokking Statistics

A sample is a subset of observations selected from a larger population for statistical analysis.

How it is used
Frames data analysis as inferring population attributes from accessible observations.
How deep it goes
Defines samples, explains representativeness and context, and flags sample-size limitations while deferring their rationale.
Examples
Uses a dormitory sleep study, self-driving taxi road data, airport on-time records, uptime measurements, and thumbstick oversampling.
What you can do after
Evaluate/understand whether observed data can support a claim about a larger population.

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Delivering Machine Learning Projects: From design to deployment

A data sample is a subset of a larger data set selected for inspection or analysis.

How it is used
Uses an early data sample to assess ML project feasibility, data constraints, and delivery work before committing to full extraction.
How deep it goes
Defines a discovery checklist and rationale but stops short of specifying sampling methods or detailed statistical analysis.
Examples
Uses a data-discovery ticket documenting statistical, nonfunctional, and system properties of an initial sample.
What you can do after
Evaluate data feasibility, identify deficiencies and overlooked sources, and estimate cleaning or supplementation work.

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Causal AI

A random sample is a dataset formed by repeatedly selecting individuals from a population according to a random sampling mechanism.

How it is used
Frames observed data as repeated random selections from a population for probabilistic modeling and data-generation workflows.
How deep it goes
Defines random sampling and IID conditions, then connects them to stochastic data-generation code without developing sampling theory.
Examples
Uses population-selection diagrams, pgmpy generation, and a ten-observation Pyro Bernoulli sample.
What you can do after
Apply it via pgmpy or Pyro to generate repeated observations from a probabilistic population model.

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Starting Data Analytics with Generative AI and Python

A sample is a subset of observations collected or selected to represent a larger population or data-generating process.

How it is used
Supports drawing conclusions about populations when complete data or direct measurement is unavailable.
How deep it goes
Defines sampling, explains representativeness and confidence intervals, and distinguishes samples from complete populations.
Examples
Uses 100 randomly selected customers, their $200 spending average, and sales-price and review-score intervals.
What you can do after
Evaluate whether sample-based averages support population claims and communicate their uncertainty.

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Statistics Every Programmer Needs

A sample is a subset of a population observed for the purpose of statistical analysis.

How it is used
Supports inference about populations and quality-control monitoring through grouped observations.
How deep it goes
Defines population generalization and demonstrates sample grouping, but stops short of sampling-design theory.
Examples
Uses piston-ring diameters arranged as 40 batches of five measurements each.
What you can do after
Evaluate grouped manufacturing measurements and prepare them for descriptive or control-chart analysis.

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Related concepts

These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.