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Statistics (AP-aligned)
Significance tests
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1. Stating hypotheses
Warm-up
Three quick questions from earlier lessons.
Discover
A courtroom presumes innocence until the evidence is convincing. In a significance test, which hypothesis plays the role of "innocent"?
The null hypothesis H₀
The alternative Hₐ
Key idea
State the question as two hypotheses about a parameter.
H₀ (null): the parameter equals a specific value (no effect). Hₐ (alternative): what we look for evidence of: <, > (one-sided) or = (two-sided). Hypotheses are about parameters (p, μ), never statistics.
Worked example
A factory says bulbs last 1,000 hours on average; a buyer suspects less.
H0:μ=1000
Status quo.
Ha:μ<1000
The suspicion.
One-sided test
Direction given.
Your turn, guided
Your turn: in "H₀: p = 0.3, Hₐ: p ≠ 0.3", what is the null value p0?
p0=0.3
The value in H₀.
Practice ★
A company claims that 80% of customers are satisfied. A researcher suspects fewer are. Which is the null hypothesis?
H₀: p = 0.80
H₀: p < 0.80
H₀: p̂ = 0.80
The mean wait at a clinic used to be 81 minutes. A manager wants to know whether it has changed, in either direction. Which alternative?
Hₐ: μ ≠ 81
Hₐ: μ > 81
Hₐ: x̄ ≠ 81
Watch out!
Practice ★★
Why are hypotheses written about parameters such as p, not statistics such as p̂ (sample of 445)?
Because we know p̂ exactly; the question is about the unknown population value
Because statistics are harder to compute
There is no difference between p and p̂
Exit ticket
Three questions to check you have got it.
A company claims that 80% of customers are satisfied. A researcher suspects fewer are. Which is the null hypothesis?
H₀: p = 0.80
H₀: p < 0.80
H₀: p̂ = 0.80
A company claims that 60% of customers are satisfied. A researcher suspects fewer are. Which is the null hypothesis?
H₀: p = 0.60
H₀: p < 0.60
H₀: p̂ = 0.60
A company claims that 62% of customers are satisfied. A researcher suspects fewer are. Which is the null hypothesis?
H₀: p = 0.62
H₀: p < 0.62
H₀: p̂ = 0.62
Summary card
Hypotheses
H₀: parameter = value. Hₐ: <, >, or ≠.
Watch out: parameters, never statistics.
2. The one-proportion z test and P-values
Warm-up
Three quick questions from earlier lessons.
Discover
A coin lands heads 60 times in 100 tosses. If it were fair, p^ would have SD 0.05. How many SDs above 0.5 is 0.6?
2
0.1
Key idea
How surprising is the data if H₀ is true?
One-proportion z test:z=p0(1−p0)/np^−p0 (the SE uses the null valuep0). The P-value is the probability, assuming H₀ is true, of a result at least as extreme as the one observed, in the direction(s) of Hₐ.
Worked example
H₀: p=0.25, n=300, p^=0.30.
SE=0.025
√(0.25 × 0.75/300).
z=2
(0.30 − 0.25)/0.025.
P-value ≈0.023
Upper tail for Hₐ: p > 0.25.
Your turn, guided
Your turn: SE = 0.04, p^−p0=0.06. Find z.
z=1.5
0.06/0.04.
Practice ★
Test H₀: p = 0.5 with a random sample of 100 in which p̂ = 52/100. Find the z statistic.
Test H₀: p = 0.5 with a random sample of 100 in which p̂ = 58/100. Find the z statistic.
Test H₀: p = 0.2 with n = 400 and p̂ = 28/100. Find the z statistic.
Watch out!
Practice ★★
A test gives a P-value of 0.05. What does it mean?
If H₀ were true, a result at least as extreme as ours would happen with probability 0.05
There is a 0.05 probability that H₀ is true
The result is due to chance with probability 0.05
Boss problem. A coin is tossed 100 times and lands heads 52 times. Test H₀: p = 0.5 against Hₐ: p > 0.5.
Exit ticket
Three questions to check you have got it.
Test H₀: p = 0.5 with a random sample of 100 in which p̂ = 52/100. Find the z statistic.
Test H₀: p = 0.5 with a random sample of 100 in which p̂ = 58/100. Find the z statistic.
Test H₀: p = 0.5 with a random sample of 100 in which p̂ = 56/100. Find the z statistic.
Summary card
z test for p
z=(p^−p0)/p0(1−p0)/n; P-value assumes H₀.
Watch out: use p0 in the SE.
3. Conclusions, errors and power
Warm-up
Three quick questions from earlier lessons.
Discover
At α = 0.05 a test gives P-value 0.30. Does this prove H₀ is true?
No: we just lack evidence against it
Yes
Key idea
Decide, and know what can go wrong.
If P-value ≤α, reject H₀ (convincing evidence for Hₐ); otherwise fail to reject H₀. Type I error: rejecting a true H₀ (probability α). Type II error: failing to reject a false H₀. Power = probability of correctly rejecting a false H₀; it grows with n and with α.
Worked example
H₀: a new teaching method is no better.
Type I: adopting a method that is not better
Reject a true H₀.
Type II: keeping the old method when the new one is better
Miss a real improvement.
Higher power, fewer Type II errors
More students in the study.
Your turn, guided
Your turn: α = 0.01. What is the probability of a Type I error when H₀ is true?
0.01
It equals α.
Practice ★
At significance level α = 0.05, a test gives P-value 0.04. What do you conclude?
Reject H₀: there is convincing evidence for Hₐ
Accept H₀
Hₐ is proven true
A test of a new drug (sample of 388) has H₀: the drug has no effect. What is a Type I error?
Concluding the drug works when it really has no effect
Concluding there is no effect when the drug really works
Making a mistake in the data
Watch out!
Practice ★★
How can a researcher increase the power of a test that now uses 82 subjects?
Use a larger sample
Use a smaller α
Use fewer subjects
Exit ticket
Three questions to check you have got it.
At significance level α = 0.05, a test gives P-value 0.04. What do you conclude?
Reject H₀: there is convincing evidence for Hₐ
Accept H₀
Hₐ is proven true
At significance level α = 0.05, a test gives P-value 0.03. What do you conclude?
Reject H₀: there is convincing evidence for Hₐ
Accept H₀
Hₐ is proven true
At significance level α = 0.05, a test gives P-value 0.02. What do you conclude?
Reject H₀: there is convincing evidence for Hₐ
Accept H₀
Hₐ is proven true
Summary card
Conclusions and errors
P ≤ α: reject H₀. Otherwise: fail to reject.
Type I: reject true H₀. Type II: keep false H₀.
Power rises with n.
Watch out: never "accept" or "prove" H₀.
4. The one-sample t test for a mean
Warm-up
Three quick questions from earlier lessons.
Discover
H₀: μ = 50. A sample of 16 has x̄ = 53 and s = 8. How many standard errors is 53 above 50?
1.5
0.375
Key idea
The one-sample t test.
t=s/nxˉ−μ0 with n−1 degrees of freedom. For a two-sided Hₐ, the P-value counts both tails (double the one-tail area).
Worked example
H₀: μ = 100, Hₐ: μ ≠ 100; n=25, xˉ=104, s=10.
SE=2
10/5.
t=2, df =24
4/2.
P-value ≈2×0.028=0.057
Both tails.
Your turn, guided
Your turn: one-tail area 0.04, two-sided test. The P-value.
0.08
2 × 0.04.
Practice ★
Test H₀: μ = 39. A random sample of 9 has x̄ = 43 and s = 9. Find the t statistic.
Test H₀: μ = 24. A random sample of 64 has x̄ = 29 and s = 18. Find the t statistic.
For a test statistic, the area in one tail beyond it is 0.04. Find the P-value of the two-sided test.
Watch out!
Practice ★★
A t test gives P-value 0.20. What can you conclude at α = 0.05?
Fail to reject H₀: not enough evidence for Hₐ
H₀ is true
Reject H₀
Exit ticket
Three questions to check you have got it.
Test H₀: μ = 39. A random sample of 9 has x̄ = 43 and s = 9. Find the t statistic.
Test H₀: μ = 24. A random sample of 64 has x̄ = 29 and s = 18. Find the t statistic.
Test H₀: μ = 71. A random sample of 9 has x̄ = 76 and s = 8. Find the t statistic.
Summary card
t test for μ
t=(xˉ−μ0)/(s/n), df =n−1; two-sided: double the tail.
Watch out: failing to reject is not proving H₀.
5. Comparing two groups: two proportions and paired data
Warm-up
Three quick questions from earlier lessons.
Discover
To test whether two groups have the same success rate, group A had 30 of 100 and group B 50 of 100. Under H₀ (same rate), what is the best estimate of that common rate?
0.4
It cannot be estimated
Key idea
Two independent groups, or one group measured twice.
Two proportions: pooled p^=n1+n2x1+x2, z=p^(1−p^)(1/n1+1/n2)p^1−p^2. Paired data (same subjects twice): a one-sample t test on the differences.
Worked example
x1=30, n1=100; x2=50, n2=100.
p^=0.4
Pool.
SE≈0.069
√(0.4 × 0.6 × 0.02).
z≈−2.89
(0.3 − 0.5)/0.069.
Your turn, guided
Your turn: 20 of 50 and 30 of 50. The pooled proportion.
0.5
50/100.
Practice ★
To test H₀: p₁ = p₂, group 1 had 21 successes out of 82 and group 2 had 22 out of 102. Find the pooled proportion.
To test H₀: p₁ = p₂, group 1 had 51 successes out of 85 and group 2 had 51 out of 105. Find the pooled proportion.
24 students take a test before and after a course. Which procedure compares the scores?
A paired t test on the 24 differences (after − before)
A two-sample t test treating the groups as independent
A two-proportion z test
Watch out!
Practice ★★
Testing H₀: p₁ = p₂ with n₁ = n₂ = 100, the pooled proportion is 3/10. Find the standard error of p̂₁ − p̂₂.
Exit ticket
Three questions to check you have got it.
To test H₀: p₁ = p₂, group 1 had 21 successes out of 82 and group 2 had 22 out of 102. Find the pooled proportion.
To test H₀: p₁ = p₂, group 1 had 51 successes out of 85 and group 2 had 51 out of 105. Find the pooled proportion.
To test H₀: p₁ = p₂, group 1 had 32 successes out of 93 and group 2 had 53 out of 113. Find the pooled proportion.
Summary card
Comparing two groups
Two proportions: pooled p^ in the SE.
Paired: test the differences.
Watch out: pool counts, not proportions.
6. Chi-square tests
Warm-up
Three quick questions from earlier lessons.
Discover
A die is rolled 60 times. If it is fair, how many times do you expect each face?
10
60
Key idea
Compare observed counts with expected counts.
χ2=∑E(O−E)2. Goodness of fit:E=n×pi, df = (categories −1). Two-way table (independence or homogeneity): E=grand totalrow total×column total, df =(r−1)(c−1). Large χ2 (small P-value) is evidence against H₀. Condition: all expected counts at least 5.
Worked example
Die: observed 14 sixes, expected 10.
Contribution =1.6
(14 − 10)²/10.
df =5
Six faces.
χ2 is the sum
Add all six contributions.
Your turn, guided
Your turn: a 3 × 4 two-way table. Degrees of freedom.
6
(3 − 1)(4 − 1).
Practice ★
A die is rolled 114 times to test whether it is fair. What is the expected count for each face?
In a chi-square test, one category has observed count 39 and expected count 21. Find its contribution to χ².
In a chi-square test, one category has observed count 16 and expected count 27. Find its contribution to χ².
Watch out!
Practice ★★
In a two-way table with grand total 158, a row total is 55 and a column total is 41. Find the expected count in that cell under independence.
In a two-way table with grand total 134, a row total is 53 and a column total is 40. Find the expected count in that cell under independence.
Exit ticket
Three questions to check you have got it.
In a chi-square test, one category has observed count 39 and expected count 21. Find its contribution to χ².
In a chi-square test, one category has observed count 16 and expected count 27. Find its contribution to χ².
In a chi-square test, one category has observed count 20 and expected count 16. Find its contribution to χ².