Null Hypothesis Definition and Examples, How to State

Contents:
1. What is the Null Hypothesis?
2. How to State the Null Hypothesis

What is the Null Hypothesis?

Null Hypothesis Overview
The null hypothesis, H0 is the commonly accepted fact; it is the opposite of the alternate hypothesis. Researchers work to reject, nullify
or disprove the null hypothesis. Researchers come up with an alternate hypothesis, one that they think explains a phenomenon, and
then work to reject the null hypothesis.

Why is it Called the “Null”?

The word “null” in this context means that it’s a commonly accepted fact that researchers work to nullify. It doesn’t mean that the
statement is null itself! (Perhaps the term should be called the “nullifiable hypothesis” as that might cause less confusion).

Why Do I need to Test it? Why not just prove an alternate

one?
The short answer is, as a scientist, you are required to; It’s part of the scientific process. Science uses a battery of processes to prove
or disprove theories, making sure than any new hypothesis has no flaws. Including both a null and an alternate hypothesis is one
safeguard to ensure your research isn’t flawed. Not including the null hypothesis in your research is considered very bad practice by
the scientific community. If you set out to prove an alternate hypothesis without considering it, you are likely setting yourself up for
failure. At a minimum, your experiment will likely not be taken seriously.

Example
Not so long ago, people believed that the world was flat.

Null hypothesis, H0: The world is flat.

Alternate hypothesis: The world is round.
Several scientists, including Copernicus, set out to disprove the null hypothesis. This eventually led to the rejection of the null and the
acceptance of the alternate. Most people accepted it — the ones that didn’t created the Flat Earth Society!. What would have happened
if Copernicus had not disproved the it and merely proved the alternate? No one would have listened to him. In order to change
people’s thinking, he first had to prove that their thinking was wrong.

How to State the Null Hypothesis

Example Problem: A researcher thinks that if knee surgery patients go to physical therapy twice a week (instead of 3 times), their
recovery period will be longer. Average recovery times for knee surgery patients is 8.2 weeks.

Step 1: Figure out the hypothesis from the problem. The hypothesis is usually hidden in a word problem, and is sometimes a
statement of what you expect to happen in the experiment.

The hypothesis in the above question is “I expect the average recovery period to be greater than 8.2 weeks.”

Step 2: Convert the hypothesis to math. Remember that the average is sometimes written as μ.
H1: μ > 8.2
Broken down into (somewhat) English, that’s H1 (The hypothesis): μ (the average) > (is greater than) 8.2

Step 3: State what will happen if the hypothesis doesn’t come true. If the recovery time isn’t greater than 8.2 weeks, there are only two
possibilities, that the recovery time is equal to 8.2 weeks or less than 8.2 weeks.
H0: μ ≤ 8.2
Broken down again into English, that’s H0 (The null hypothesis): μ (the average) ≤ (is less than or equal to) 8.2

How to State the Null Hypothesis: Part Two

But what if the researcher doesn’t have any idea what will
happen?
Sample Problem: A researcher is studying the effects of radical exercise program on knee surgery patients. There is a good chance
the therapy will improve recovery time, but there’s also the possibility it will fmake it worse. Average recovery times for knee surgery
patients is 8.2 weeks.
Step 1: State what will happen if the experiment doesn’t make any difference. That’s the null hypothesis–that nothing will happen. In
this experiment, if nothing happens, then the recovery time will stay at 8.2 weeks.
H0: μ = 8.2
Broken down into English, that’s H0 (The null hypothesis): μ (the average) = (is equal to) 8.2
Step 2: Figure out the alternate hypothesis. The alternate hypothesis is the opposite of the null hypothesis. In other words, what
happens if our experiment makes a difference?
H1: μ ≠ 8.2
In English again, that’s H1 (The alternate hypothesis): μ (the average) ≠ (is not equal to) 8.2
That’s How to State the Null Hypothesis!
Examples of the Null Hypothesis
To write a null hypothesis, first start by asking a question. Rephrase that question in a form
that assumes no relationship between the variables. In other words, assume a treatment has
no effect. Write your hypothesis in a way that reflects this.

Question Null Hypothesis

Are teens better at math than adults? Age has no effect on

mathematical ability.

Does taking aspirin every day reduce the chance of having a heart attack? Taking aspirin daily
does not affect heart
attack risk.

Do teens use cell phones to access the internet more than adults? Age has no effect on
how cell phones are
used for internet
access.

Do cats care about the color of their food? Cats express no food
preference based on
color.

Does chewing willow bark relieve pain? There is no difference

in pain relief after
chewing willow bark
versus taking a
placebo.

ABUSO,GUILBERT JR ENABORE
ANGELES,JUNMAR ILIGAN
ARRUBIO,MARK DAVE -
AZARCON,EGIE INTANO
AZARCON,KIM LESTER CORTEZ
AZARCON,RYAN ROZANO
CATAY,ALEM MERGULLAS
COSTUYA,JOHNDOLF HUNIOG
DE LA CRUZ,MARK BRYAN MORALES
DE OCAMPO, JR.,JOEBERT TALISIC
DORDAS,ZABDIEL ROB -
ERAZO,ERIC HUERGO
GARCIA,PATRICK ANOTADO
HUNAHUNAN,KEVIN NAMOC
HUNIOG,MARK JOSEPH BACUNGAN
LEAL,JAY GANAS
MONTENEGRO,MARK CHRISTIAN LAMIGO
NADAO,JHON ONEIL AMPO
OLVIZ,ALEXIS PORTILLANO
OROZCO,FELMANWIN CASTANTE
OROZCO,JOMARIE LLOREN
OROZCO,JOWIL FELIAS
OROZCO,RONEL RAMOS
OSIGAN,MOMOY JR ANGELES
SANTISAS,GECRIS MARCELO
SIM,JHON LEE ABEDEJOS
SUMAYAN,EARNEST JOY JAMORA
SURILLA,MARTIN REY JULVE
TORREJOS,KURT CLAUDIO DUERO
TRAZARES,KERT CLIFFORD -
URQUIA,LARRY JR. BUCALON
YPARRAGUIRRE,DAVE KENNETH BENDOY
FEMALE
BIONGAN,JONA MAE NADAO
CELESTE,DAISY MAE DAGING
DAGALA,KZELL APAD
DAGNO,REBECCA MIRANDA
DAL,WENDELYN JOY LUENGAS
FLORES,REYNALDA ESPERON
GEVERA,CHRISTINE MAE PARDEÑAS
HUNAHUNAN,MATET CABADONGA
ILIGAN,CHERRY MAE ANGELES
IRIZARI,CINDERELLA GOTINGA
LARONG,EL CLAUDINE ARANAL
LAURO,JAMAICA ALA
LINAGA,ESTEFANNY RUBI
LUAREZ,LAARNIE PATOSA
LUMAPAS,LALAINE JURALBAR
MANGALAO,HANNAH -
NAPOLES,ZYNEL RODRIGUEZ
NURSALI,CYNAH TEVES
OPELIO,QUEENIE PEJAN
PIANDIONG,JESSA MAE NICOLE GUIRAL
ROSIL,JESSALY QUITOY
RUAZA,MICHELLE GRACE ESCATRON
SARIM,ERMALYN DODIOG
ARPILLEDA, JERICHO
DE LOS ARCOS BERRY
MAQUILING, MARK
ABUSO,GUILBERT JR ENABORE -

ANGELES,JUNMAR ILIGA - 89

ARRUBIO,MARK DAVE -

AZARCON,EGIE INTANO

AZARCON,KIM LESTER CORTEZ

AZARCON,RYAN ROZANO

CATAY,ALEM MERGULLAS

COSTUYA,JOHNDOLF HUNIOG 79

DE LA CRUZ,MARK BRYAN MORALES 81

DE OCAMPO, JR.,JOEBERT TALISIC 87

DORDAS,ZABDIEL ROB - 88

ERAZO,ERIC HUERGO 83

GARCIA,PATRICK ANOTADO 86

HUNAHUNAN,KEVIN NAMOC 78

HUNIOG,MARK JOSEPH BACUNGAN 83

LEAL,JAY GANAS

MONTENEGRO,MARK CHRISTIAN LAMIGO

NADAO,JHON ONEIL AMPO

OLVIZ,ALEXIS PORTILLANO

OROZCO,FELMANWIN CASTANTE 80

OROZCO,JOMARIE LLOREN 76

OROZCO,JOWIL FELIAS

OROZCO,RONEL RAMOS

OSIGAN,MOMOY JR ANGELES 83

SANTISAS,GECRIS MARCELO 79

SIM,JHON LEE ABEDEJOS 83

SUMAYAN,EARNEST JOY JAMORA 77

SURILLA,MARTIN REY JULVE 78

TORREJOS,KURT CLAUDIO DUERO 81

TRAZARES,KERT CLIFFORD -

URQUIA,LARRY JR. BUCALON 89

YPARRAGUIRRE,DAVE KENNETH BENDOY - 78

FEMALE

BIONGAN,JONA MAE NADAO

CELESTE,DAISY MAE DAGING 89

DAGALA,KZELL APAD 84

DAGNO,REBECCA MIRANDA 80

DAL,WENDELYN JOY LUENGAS 80

FLORES,REYNALDA ESPERON 87

GEVERA,CHRISTINE MAE PARDEÑAS - 91

HUNAHUNAN,MATET CABADONGA

ILIGAN,CHERRY MAE ANGELES 78

IRIZARI,CINDERELLA GOTINGA 85

LARONG,EL CLAUDINE ARANAL 80

LAURO,JAMAICA ALA 82

LINAGA,ESTEFANNY RUBI 82

LUAREZ,LAARNIE PATOSA 87

LUMAPAS,LALAINE JURALBAR 88

MANGALAO,HANNAH - 88

NAPOLES,ZYNEL RODRIGUEZ 85

NURSALI,CYNAH TEVES 85
OPELIO,QUEENIE PEJAN 88

PIANDIONG,JESSA MAE NICOLE GUIRAL - 81

ROSIL,JESSALY QUITOY 83

RUAZA,MICHELLE GRACE ESCATRON 84

SARIM,ERMALYN DODIOG 85

ARPILLEDA, JERICHO

DE LOS ARCOS BERRY 87

MAQUILING, MARK
  Minutes for HRPTA Meeting


Agenda:

1. Teacher’s report; the adviser reported the following:

 Behavior of students in school


1000