Take a simple random sample.
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A representative sample is one where the statistics of the sample are the same as the statistics for the parent population.
If the sample is not representative of the population, then the characteristics of the sample are not the characteristics of the population. Example: If I want to estimate the percentage of the population that are men, and my sample is the school's football team, my estimate would be that 100% of the population is comprised of men. What went wrong with my survey ? Simple. The football team is not a representative sample of the population, at least not as regards gender.
A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole
It is important for a sample to be representative, so that the whole population's view is counted, and not biased by one particular group within the population.
Generalizations, representative