(statistics) the selection of a suitable sample for study
"The researcher spent the morning sampling voters from each district to ensure their survey represented the entire population."
items selected at random from a population and used to test hypotheses about the population
"Before launching the new product nationwide, the marketing team conducted sampling by selecting customers at random across all regions to gauge their initial reactions."
measurement at regular intervals of the amplitude of a varying waveform (in order to convert it to digital form)
"The audio engineer adjusted the sampling rate to ensure the microphone captured every nuance of the singer's voice without losing fidelity during the digital conversion."
The process or technique of obtaining a representative sample.
"The market research team spent weeks sampling customers across different cities to ensure their survey results accurately reflected the entire population's opinions."
In plain English: Sampling is the act of taking a small part of something to see what it is like before getting the whole thing.
"The chef offered us a sampling of the new appetizers before they served the main course."
Usage: Sampling refers to selecting a subset from a larger group to represent the whole, often used in statistics and music production. Ensure you distinguish this noun form from the verb when describing the act versus the resulting data set.
present participle of sample
"While waiting for her coffee, she was sampling a variety of local pastries from the display case."
In plain English: To sample something means to try a small amount of it first to see if you like it before buying more.
"She decided to sample the local cuisine at the new restaurant."
Derived from the Old French samplier (to take a sample), the term originally meant selecting a portion or specimen of something larger. It entered English in the 16th century with this literal sense before evolving to include musical excerpts and statistical data subsets.