ABSTRACT
As noted in the previous section, an unbiased sample may be obtained by us-
ing simple random sampling. Putting names on slips of paper and drawing the
number needed for the sample is a classic method for obtaining such a sample. For
larger populations, it is more efficient to use a table of random numbers, a portion
of which is shown in Table 2 near the end of this book.1 In this table, there is no
sequence to the numbers, and in a large table, each number appears about the same
amount of times. To use the table, first assign each individual in the population a
person 01, the second person 02, the third person 03, and so on, until you reach the
last person, whose number is 90.2
finger on the page without looking to determine your starting point. Suppose your
finger landed on the upper-left corner of Table 2. Because each person has a two-
digit number name, the first two digits identify the first subject. In this case, the
number is 21, so Individual Number 21 is selected. The next two digits to the right
(ignoring the spaces between the columns, which are provided only as a visual aid
while reading the table) are 0 and 4. Thus, Person 04 is also selected for the sample.
The next two-digit number is 98. Because the population only has 90 individuals,
