Question

A New York psychologist recommends that if you feel the need to check your e-mail in the middle of a movie or if you sleep with your cell phone next to your bed, it might be time to "power off' (AARP Bulletin, September 2010). Suppose that you want to learn about the proportion of students at your college who feel the need to check e-mail during the middle of a movie, and that you have access to a list of all students enrolled at your college. Describe how you would use this list to select a simple random sample of 100 students.

Short answer

To select a simple random sample of 100 students from a larger list of students enrolled at a college, assign a unique number to each student. Then, use a random number generator to generate 100 numbers. The students associated with those 100 specific numbers make up the simple random sample.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Purpose

The primary objective is to find the proportion of students who feel the need to check their email during a movie. The population here is all students enrolled at the college and the goal is to choose a simple random sample of 100 students from this population.

Acquire the Complete List

Gain access to the comprehensive list of all students currently enrolled at the college. This list represents the total population from which the random sample will be drawn.

Assign Numbers to Each Student

Assign a unique numerical value to each student. This could be, for example, in ascending order where the first student gets assigned the number 1, the second student gets assigned 2, and so on until the last one on the list.

Use a Random Number Generator

Employ a random number generator to select numbers corresponding to 100 students. The selection process should not be influenced by any human judgment. Software or online tools can assist in generating these random numbers

Select the Sample

The students whose assigned numbers correspond to the ones generated by the random number generator become the simple random sample. Reach out to these students to get the required information.