Q: How many rainforests are there in the world?
A: A census found there’s a brazillion.
Q: How many rainforests are there in the world?
A: A census found there’s a brazillion.
Lyrics © 2018 Lawrence M. Lesser
may sing to the tune of "Annie's Song" by John Denver
Don’t try for a census
when the best thing’s a sample.
But now how could a sample
surpass trying for all?
Well, samples are faster
(so less outdated data)
and samples are cheaper
(less workers to hire)!
Sometimes a census
simply can’t even be done:
If you needed a blood test,
should they take some or all?
If they crash-tested all cars,
they’d have no cars to sell you!
Just take a sample
from what is mixed well.
If the sample’s much smaller
than the whole population,
Then precision goals lean on
the sample size n,
Not the sampling fraction:
that is really amazing!
Don’t try for a census,
come sample instead!
Q: What do you call noting prices of the candy by the front door at your neighborhood 7-Eleven?
A: Convenience sampling.
Larry Lesser
What explains why some Senators ignore testimony when they vote on Federal Court nominations?
Answer: Confirmation bias.
Larry Lesser and Dennis Pearl
lyric © 2017 Lawrence M. Lesser
sing to the tune of the KC & the Sunshine Band hit “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty”
Two…. million readers
picked Landon to
advance;
Gallup
disagreed
from thousands picked by chance.
CHORUS:
(Shake, shake, shake,
shake, shake, shake:
random sample,
random sample)2x
Ahhh, you think
you can pick them
very well,
But drafting
for Vietnam
wasn’t swell.
(Repeat Chorus)
Shake, shake, shake
shake, shake, shake:
iPod Shuffle,
quick pick lotto.
Shake, shake, shake,
take, take, take:
random sample!