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Stats 2
S3 Topic 3: Estimation, confidence intervals and tests
Testing a sample mean 3 backmore
You will be given a number of hypothesis tests. In each case a null and alternative hypothesis will be suggested, where m refers to the population mean, and a level of test. You will then be given the population standard deviation, s, and the mean and size of a sample from that population. You must decide if the hypothesis test should have a non-significant or significant result based on that sample mean. A table of critical values is provided but you will have to work out the test statistic yourself, using:
test statistic
Critical
values
One-tailed
normal
One-tailed
normal
Two-tailed
normal
10% 1.282 -1.282 ±1.645
5% 1.645 -1.645 ±1.96
2.5% 1.96 -1.96 ±2.241
1% 2.326 -2.326 ±2.575
Correct: Attempts: % Correct:
1 H0: m= 200 H1: m ¹200 Level of test: 5%
s=10, sample mean = 212, sample size = 16
Non-significant Significant
2 H0: m= 100 H1: m ¹100 Level of test: 1%
s=15, sample value = 110, sample size = 16
Non-significant Significant
3 H0: m= 100 H1: m >100 Level of test: 5%
s=15, sample value = 105, sample size = 16
Non-significant Significant
4 H0: m= 100 H1: m >100 Level of test: 5%
s=15, sample value = 105, sample size = 25
Non-significant Significant
5 H0: m= 100 H1: m <100 Level of test: 2.5%
s=15, sample value = 97, sample size = 25
Non-significant Significant
6 H0: m= 50 H1: m <50 Level of test: 10%
s=10, sample value = 47, sample size = 25
Non-significant Significant
7 H0: m= 60 H1: m <60 Level of test: 2.5%
s=10, sample value = 56, sample size = 25
Non-significant Significant
8 H0: m= 70 H1: m ¹70 Level of test: 10%
s=10, sample value = 67, sample size = 36
Non-significant Significant
9 H0: m= 70 H1: m ¹70 Level of test: 5%
s=10, sample value = 67, sample size = 36
Non-significant Significant
10 H0: m= 50 H1: m ¹50 Level of test: 1%
s=6, sample value = 48, sample size = 36
Non-significant Significant



Summary
In any hypothesis test we are testing the evidence to see if it is sufficient to reject the null hypothesis.
A significant result implies:
  • the null hypothesis is rejected
  • the alternative hypothesis is accepted as true
  • there is a chance that this conclusion is wrong and that the null hypothsis is in fact true. This is called a Type I error
  • the probability of a Type I error is given by the level of the test
A non-significant result implies:
  • the null hypothesis is not rejected
  • there is a chance that this conclusion is wrong and that the null hypothsis is in fact false. This is called a Type II error
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