A is a part of the population that is actually used to acquire information.
(a) sample
(b) unit
(c) subject
(d) variable
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is (b) unit.
A unit in statistics refers to an individual member or element of a population that is used to gather data. Units are the basic entities being studied, and the information collected from these units is used to make inferences about the larger population. For example, if you’re conducting a survey on students’ academic performance in a school, each individual student would be considered a unit.
A sample is a subset of a population selected for analysis, and it contains multiple units. It is through studying a sample that one can make generalizations or draw conclusions about the entire population. For instance, if you randomly select 100 students from a school of 1,000, the group of 100 students would be the sample, and each student within that group is a unit.
A subject is similar to a unit but is more commonly used in experimental research, often referring to individuals who are part of an experiment. Subjects may be exposed to different treatments or conditions, and their responses are recorded to analyze the effects of those treatments. In this context, the term “subject” specifically refers to human participants or living organisms in experimental studies.
A variable refers to any characteristic or attribute that can be measured or categorized. Examples of variables include age, gender, income level, or test scores. Variables can take on different values, and they are the primary focus of data collection and analysis. In contrast to units, variables are not individual entities but rather the aspects of those entities that are measured or observed.
In summary, a unit is the individual component or member of a population that is observed or measured for data collection purposes, while terms like sample, subject, and variable serve different roles in the context of data analysis and research design.