Sampling Theory

Sampling theory is the field of statistics that is involved with the collection, analysis and interpretation of data gathered from random samples of a population under study. The application of sampling theory is concerned not only with the proper selection of observations from the population that will constitute the random sample; it also involves the use of probability theory, along with prior knowledge about the population parameters, to analyze the data from the random sample and develop conclusions from the analysis. The normal distribution, along with related probability distributions, is most heavily utilized in developing the theoretical background for sampling theory.