Using large sample sizes in an experiment increases: A - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 2 - 2020 - Paper 1

Using large sample sizes in experiments primarily increases precision. This means that with a larger sample size, the variability of the sample mean decreases, leading to more consistent and reliable estimates of the population parameters.

Specifically, as the sample size increases, the standard error of the mean decreases, which can be expressed as:

$ext{Standard Error} = \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}}$

Where:

• $s$ = standard deviation of the sample
• $n$ = sample size

Thus, larger samples result in smaller standard errors, enhancing the precision of the estimates.