# sampling

Pronunciation: US say "SAM-puh-ling" /ˈsæmpəlɪŋ/; UK say "SAHM-puh-ling" /ˈsɑːmpəlɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The process or technique used to obtain a representative sample from a larger population.
   - Simple: Choosing a small part of a group so it can stand for the whole.
   - _Random sampling reduced the chance that any one neighborhood would skew the results._
   - _Poor sampling can make even a large study unreliable._
2. The electronic splicing of previously recorded sound fragments into a new composition, especially in hip-hop or electronic dance music.
   - Simple: Taking pieces of old recordings and putting them into a new song, often in hip-hop or dance music.
   - _Her latest album leans heavily on sampling, weaving fragments of jazz into electronic beats._
   - _Legal disputes over uncleared sampling have shaped the business of hip-hop._
3. A small selection taken or offered to represent a larger whole.
   - Simple: A small part taken to show what the whole is like.
   - _The report included a sampling of customer complaints from the past year._
   - _She gave the class a sampling of poems from different centuries._
4. In statistics, the study of a group through measuring the traits of a substantial, randomly chosen share of its members.
   - Simple: Learning about a whole group by studying a random part of it.
   - _Election forecasts rely on sampling a few thousand voters to represent millions._
   - _Careful sampling kept the survey's margin of error low._
5. The measurement, at regular intervals, of a varying waveform's amplitude in order to convert it into digital form.
   - Simple: Measuring a signal's strength at regular moments to turn it into digital data.
   - _CD audio uses sampling at 44,100 times per second._
   - _Engineers chose a sampling rate high enough to capture every audible frequency._

## Verb

6. Present participle and gerund of sample. — present participle and gerund of sample
   - Simple: Present participle of sample. Use this -ing form when the action of taking a sample is happening now.
   - _She is sampling each wine before deciding what to order._
   - _Sampling the local food was the best part of the trip._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sampling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).