eHarmony Found the Perfect Match for ME!
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: stuffed in a box
Originally Posted by WestSideBilly,Mar 8 2006, 01:20 PM
It can if the sample of 1000 is truly a random sample. But when the sample is 1000 people who thought their crotch was f'ed up, it's not random, and the results will be severely skewed. That's why I hate the playboy sex survey - it's a survey of playboy readers who volunteer to fill it out - a group that's more sexual than a random sample and a group that is probably proud of their exploits - the 30 year old guy who's had 2 partners and never done anything but missionary isn't going to write in, even though he is statistically more typical.
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,828
Likes: 74
From: stuffed in a box
and by accurately I mean, at such a low level, you simply cant account for some random variation you may not have encountered in your limited sample.
example, there is a chance that out of 100 people, 95 of them support bush... let's say. I'm not talking actual politics here, just making a point. it's entirely possible that, if you sampled major cities only, lets say 5 of them, that's only 20 people in each city. Suppose you manage to sample, inadvertanly, a republican convention in one of those cities, such as new york.... that probably won't accurately portray the whole of new york, eh? eh? with me? suppose you're in chicago and you happen to sample a denny's, on sunday.... AFTER CHURCH
see where I'm going with this? with people at least, I just don't buy the statics. With microbes, or bacteria, or planets, I'll buy the science, but not with people. People are weird.
I have an issues with people and statistics. anyone else notice that?
example, there is a chance that out of 100 people, 95 of them support bush... let's say. I'm not talking actual politics here, just making a point. it's entirely possible that, if you sampled major cities only, lets say 5 of them, that's only 20 people in each city. Suppose you manage to sample, inadvertanly, a republican convention in one of those cities, such as new york.... that probably won't accurately portray the whole of new york, eh? eh? with me? suppose you're in chicago and you happen to sample a denny's, on sunday.... AFTER CHURCH
see where I'm going with this? with people at least, I just don't buy the statics. With microbes, or bacteria, or planets, I'll buy the science, but not with people. People are weird.I have an issues with people and statistics. anyone else notice that?
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 88,444
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From: Pt. A to Pt. B via VTEC!!
Originally Posted by wicky,Mar 8 2006, 11:28 PM
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People are weird.
People are weird.
