Sample

A sample is a portion or subset chosen to represent a larger whole. It may be a physical specimen, such as a mineral, tissue, or plant material, a portion of food, or a set of data intended to reflect characteristics of a population.

In statistics and research, sampling involves selecting a subset of individuals or items from a population to estimate properties such as mean or proportion. Common methods include random, stratified, and cluster sampling, each with potential sampling error and bias.

In manufacturing and quality control, samples are tested to infer the quality of a batch without inspecting every item. Acceptance sampling and rejection sampling are standard approaches to decide whether to release or reject a lot.

In science and medicine, samples such as blood, urine, tissue, or environmental material are collected under procedures that preserve integrity for laboratory analysis.

In music and audio, a sample is a short excerpt of sound reused in a new musical work. Digital sampling records waveform data, enabling manipulation, looping, and layering, while copyright and licensing considerations apply.

In computing and signal processing, a sample is a single data point in a digital sequence, or a measurement taken at a fixed rate, described by the sampling rate (samples per second).

In consumer contexts, samples are free or low-cost portions of products offered to customers to try before buying.