A smaller group of data is often called a sample, which is a portion, or a subset, of a population. For example, all the fifth graders in Newark (Neil’s fair city of origin), New Jersey, would be a population (the population is all the occurrences with certain characteristics, in this case, being in fifth grade and attending school in Newark), whereas a selection of 150 of these students would be a sample. If we think this sample represents the population well, we can make guesses about the population.
