Programming your calculator
20
SRANSAMP
Purpose
Take a simple random sample of a certain size from a population.
A simple random sample is one for which each element of the population has the same
chance of being chosen. Notice that it is possible for the same elements to be chosen
more than once. (That is, sampling with replacement is involved.)
Operation
First delete the contents of List 1 and then enter the population of interest into List 1.
(The population cannot exceed 255 elements.)
Start the program, enter the sample size and press .
The calculator will select a simple random sample of the chosen size and display the
mean of the sample. The sample will be stored into List 6. Any data already in List 6 will
be lost.
The actual sample chosen can be seen in List 6 by first pressing .
Compare several samples of the same size; you should find that, while they differ from
each other, they have similar means.
Compare samples of different sizes; you should find that larger samples give more
reliable information about your population.
There is a discussion of the use of this sort of program in the text,
Kissane, Barry, Harradine, Anthony & Boys, Anthony (1999) Mathematical Interactions:
Data Analysis and Probability, Chatswood, NSW: Shriro, pp 23-26.
