Learn

With replacement vs without replacement

Replacement changes whether the next draw comes from the same unchanged pool or from a smaller changed one.

With replacement

The pool resets after every draw

If an item is returned before the next draw, the probability stays the same from one draw to the next. That is why with-replacement setups often fit repeated-trial models like the binomial distribution.

Without replacement

The pool changes after every draw

If an item is not returned, the next draw comes from a smaller pool with changed composition. Card hands and sampled batches fit this pattern, which is why they lead to hypergeometric probability instead of binomial probability.

Independence

Replacement and independence are closely related

With replacement often preserves independence because one draw does not change the next one. Without replacement breaks that independence because the population changes after every draw.