Sample size determination  is the act of choosing the number of observations or  replicates  to include in a  statistical sample . The sample size is an important feature of any empirical study in which the goal is to make  inferences  about a  population  from a sample. In practice, the sample size used in a study is determined based on the expense of data collection, and the need to have sufficient  statistical power . In complicated studies there may be several different sample sizes involved in the study: for example, in a  stratified   survey  there would be different sample sizes for each stratum. In a  census , data are collected on the entire population, hence the sample size is equal to the population size. In  experimental design , where a study may be divided into different  treatment groups , this may be different sample sizes for each group.         Sample sizes may be chosen in several different ...
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