Sample (material)

This article is about representative samples. For other uses, see Sample.
Not to be confused with Sample (statistics).
Samples of different Rosé Wines in glass tubes showing range of colours available
Sampling cock to take samples of crystal suspension in vacuum pans in the sugar industry

In general, a sample is a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount of that thing(s).[1] The things could be countable objects such as individual items available as units for sale, or an uncountable material. Even though the word "sample" implies a smaller quantity taken from a larger amount, sometimes full biological or mineralogical specimens are called samples if they are taken for analysis, testing, or investigation like other samples. They are also considered samples in the sense that even whole specimens are "samples" of the full population of many individual organisms.[2] The act of obtaining a sample is called "sampling"[3] and can be performed manually by a person or by automatic process. Samples of material can be taken or provided for testing, analysis, investigation, quality control, demonstration, or trial use. Sometimes, sampling may be performed continuously.[4][5]

  1. ^ O'Toole, M.T., ed. (2011). Mosby's Medical Dictionary (9th ed.). Elsevier Mosby. p. 1592. ISBN 9780323085410.
  2. ^ Elliott, J.E. (1984). "Collecting and Archiving Wildlife Specimens in Canada". In Lewis, R.A.; Stein, N.; Lewis, C.W. (eds.). Environmental Specimen Banking and Monitoring as Related to Banking. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. pp. 45–66. ISBN 0898386217.
  3. ^ Department of Defense; Environmental Protection Agency; Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2000). "Chapter 7: Sampling and Preparation for Laboratory Measurements". Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission. p. 7-1. Retrieved 5 July 2018. Sampling is the process of collecting a portion of an environmental medium as representative of the locally remaining medium.
  4. ^ Gruiz, K.; Meggyes, T.; Fenyvesi, É., eds. (2016). Engineering Tools for Environmental Risk Management - 3: Site Assessment and Monitoring Tools. CRC Press. p. 43. ISBN 9781315778761.
  5. ^ Hazelton, C. (1998). "Variations between Continuous and Spot-Sampling Techniques in Monitoring a Change in River-Water Quality". Water and Environment Journal. 12 (2): 124–9. doi:10.1111/j.1747-6593.1998.tb00161.x. S2CID 108508464.