Suppose a researcher wants to determine the average height of all students currently enrolled at a large university. Should the researcher collect data from a sample or from the entire population?

• A. Sample
• B. Population

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the difference between a population and a sample: The population includes all individuals of interest (in this case, all students currently enrolled at the university), while a sample is a subset of that population.
2. Consider the feasibility of data collection: Collecting data from the entire population (all students) can be very time-consuming, costly, and sometimes impractical, especially if the population is large.
3. Recognize the purpose of sampling: By selecting a representative sample, the researcher can estimate the average height of the entire population without measuring every individual.
4. Ensure the sample is representative: The sample should be randomly selected to avoid bias and to make valid inferences about the population.
5. Conclude that collecting data from a sample is the appropriate approach here, as it balances accuracy and practicality when estimating the average height of all students.