a small amount of data

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a small amount of data" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to a quantity of data that is not large. For example: "The team was able to draw conclusions from a small amount of data."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

But it includes a small amount of data that acts as a clue to its contents.

MIT Technology Review

Chromebooks can store a small amount of data, like a file someone sends you to download.

The New York Times

A small amount of data, such as a shot number, can be passed with these events.

Fusion Engineering and Design

It was a reasonable way to keep track of a small amount of data but was easily overwhelmed by the new flood of research.

The New York Times - Magazine

The money shot in Blink is 'thin slicing', Gladwell's term for that ability to make a rapid judgment on a small amount of data.

The Guardian - Books

E-mail, for example, can take about the same amount of time to download, because it is a small amount of data.

The New York Times

Furthermore, it is presented that even with a small amount of data good models can be achieved.

Energy and Buildings

There are 32 of these, and they hold a small amount of data which is directly acted on by the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) when it performs calculations.

Stanford University

While the pen register in the Smith case collected a small amount of data for a brief period of time, the N.S.A. program "involves the creation and maintenance of a historical database containing five years' worth of data".

The New Yorker

But not only are you starting with years worth of previous knowledge that you're building on – hardly a small amount of data – you also have a weakness that no good deep learning system would put up with: you forget.

The Guardian - Tech

The ANNs mimic the calibration data precisely, but suffer from overfitting when a small amount of data is applied for training.

Environmental Modelling & Software

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a small amount of data" in academic writing, provide context regarding its sufficiency for drawing conclusions or limitations it imposes on your analysis.

Common error

Avoid assuming that "a small amount of data" is inherently insufficient. Clearly articulate how the quantity impacts your analysis, acknowledging limitations or justifying its adequacy for the specific purpose.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a small amount of data" functions as a quantifier followed by a noun. It modifies the noun "data", indicating a limited quantity. Ludwig AI confirms this is a correct and usable English phrase.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Academia

7%

Wiki

5%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a small amount of data" is a grammatically correct and frequently used expression to describe a limited quantity of information. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and usability. It is commonly found in scientific, news, and business contexts, serving to specify limitations, justify methodologies, or explain constraints in analysis. When using this phrase, particularly in formal writing, it's crucial to provide context about the implications of the data's quantity on the analysis or conclusions drawn. Be sure to also check out alternatives such as "a limited quantity of data" or "a minimal set of data" for nuanced variations.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a limited quantity of data

Replaces "amount" with "quantity" emphasizing the restricted nature of the data.

a minimal set of data

Substitutes "small amount" with "minimal set", focusing on the data's sufficiency rather than its size.

a negligible data volume

Uses "negligible" to highlight the insignificance of the data volume.

a modest data collection

Replaces "small amount" with "modest" to suggest a moderate and reasonable collection of data.

a scarce amount of data

Emphasizes the data's rarity or limited availability using the word "scarce".

a restricted data pool

Indicates a limited or controlled source of data.

a bite-sized chunk of data

Uses a more informal expression to convey the small and manageable size of the data.

a trickle of data

Suggests the data is arriving slowly and in small increments.

a smattering of data

Emphasizes the uneven distribution of data, suggesting it's scattered and not comprehensive.

a fragment of data

Highlights that the data is incomplete or just a portion of a larger set.

FAQs

How can I use "a small amount of data" in a sentence?

You can use "a small amount of data" to describe situations where the available data is limited. For instance, "Despite having a small amount of data, we were able to identify a trend".

What are some alternatives to saying "a small amount of data"?

Alternatives include "a limited quantity of data", "a minimal set of data", or "a negligible data volume", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it always a disadvantage to work with "a small amount of data"?

Not necessarily. While a larger dataset often provides more robust insights, specialized techniques exist to extract meaningful information even from a small amount of data. The impact depends on the research question and analytical approach.

When is it appropriate to use the phrase "a small amount of data" in research?

It's appropriate when you need to acknowledge limitations or challenges due to data scarcity or justify the methodology used to derive meaningful insights from such constrained datasets.