Definition of Sample Space

Inside of statistics probability, the sample space is defined as the set of all possible outcomes that are obtained by performing a experiment random (the one whose result cannot be predicted).

The denotation The most common of the sample space is by means of the Greek letter omega: Ω. Among the most common examples of sample spaces we can find the results of tossing a coin to the air (heads and tails) or to roll a dice (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).

Multiple sample spaces

In many experiments it may be the case that several possible sample spaces coexist, being at the disposal of those who carry out the experiment to choose the one that best suits them according to their interests.

An example of this would be the experiment of drawing a card from a standard 52-card poker deck. Thus, one of the sample spaces that could be defined would be that of the different suits that make up the deck (spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts), while other options could be a range of cards (between two and six, for example) or figures of the deck (jack, queen and king).

You could even work with a description more precise of the possible results of the experiment by combining several of these multiple sample spaces (drawing a figure of the suit of hearts). In this case, a single sample space would be generated, which would be a Cartesian product of the two previous spaces.

Sample space and probability distribution

Some approaches to probability statistics assume that the different results that can be obtained from an experiment are always defined so that they all have the same probability to happen.

However, there are experiments in which this is really complicated, being very complex to construct a sample space where all the results have the same probability.

A paradigmatic example would be to throw a thumbtack in the air and observe how many times it falls with its tip pointing downwards or upwards. The results will show a clear asymmetry, so it would be impossible to suggest that both outcomes have the same probability of happening.

Probability symmetry is the most common when it comes to analyze random phenomena, but that does not mean that it is of great help to be able to construct a sample space in which the The results are at least approximately similar, since this condition is basic to simplify the calculation of odds. And it is that, if all the possible results of the experiment have the same probability of happening, then the study of probability is greatly simplified.

Photos: iStock - Moncherie