Glossary
What is Instance / Sample
The terms 'Instance' and 'Sample' are used in various fields, particularly in computer science, statistics, and data analysis. In computer science, an 'instance' refers to a specific object created from a class, while a 'sample' represents a subset of data drawn from a larger dataset for analysis and inference.
In machine learning, an instance can be considered as a single data point required for model training, whereas a sample refers to a portion of the dataset selected for training, validation, or testing of the model. For example, each row in a dataset can be viewed as an instance, while specific rows chosen from the dataset serve as samples for research.
The application of these concepts is crucial in scientific research and technical development. In statistics, researchers need to sample from a population to infer characteristics, making the representativeness of samples vital. In programming, the process of instantiating objects is essential for understanding object-oriented programming.
With the rapid development of data science and machine learning, understanding the concepts of instances and samples is increasingly important. In the future, as artificial intelligence technology continues to advance, how effectively instances and samples are utilized will directly impact model performance and research efficacy.