Introduction: Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating our ideas

about the world using statistics. It is used by scientists to test specific predictions,
called hypotheses, by calculating how likely it is that a pattern or relationship between
variables could have arisen by chance. The hypothesis test is aimed to test if the null
hypothesis should be rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis. The basic logic of a
hypothesis test is to compare two statistical data sets. One data set is obtained by
sampling and the other data set originates from an idealized model.

METHODS IN CONDUCTING A TRADITIONAL HYPOTHESIS TESTING

1. Begin by stating the claim or hypothesis that is being tested. Also, form a statement
for the case that the hypothesis is false.

 It is important to use hypothesis testing procedure to make informed decisions.

It helps in making a decision as to which mutually exclusive statement about the
population is best supported by sample data.

2. Express both of the statements from the first step in mathematical symbols. These
statements will use symbols such as inequalities and equals signs.

 It is important for students to understand that symbols help us to express

relationships between numbers and that equivalence is just one such
relationship. Inequality is the relationship that holds between two values when
they are different.

3. Identify which of the two symbolic statements does not have equality in it. This could
simply be a "not equals" sign, but could also be an "is less than" sign ( ). The statement
containing inequality is called the alternative hypothesis and is denoted H 1 or Ha.

 The propositions are equal or logically equivalent if they always have the same
truth value. That is, p and q are logically equivalent if p is true whenever q is
true, and vice versa, and if p is false whenever q is false, and vice versa. If p and
q are logically equivalent, we write p = q.
4. The statement from the first step that makes the statement that a parameter equals
a particular value is called the null hypothesis, denoted H o.

 The null hypothesis states that there is no relationship between two population
parameters, i.e., an independent variable and a dependent variable. If the
hypothesis shows a relationship between the two parameters, the outcome could
be due to an experimental or sampling error.

Example of null hypothesis

5. Choose which significance level that we want.

 A significance level is typically denoted by the Greek letter alpha. Here we should
consider Type I errors. A Type I error occurs when we reject a null hypothesis
that is actually true. If we are very concerned about this possibility occurring,
then our value for alpha should be small. There is a bit of a trade-off here. The
smaller the alpha, the costliest the experiment. The values 0.05 and 0.01 are
common values used for alpha, but any positive number between 0 and 0.50
could be used for a significance level.
6. Determine which statistic and distribution we should use.

 Using Probability Plots to Identify the Distribution of Your Data. Probability plots
might be the best way to determine whether your data follow a particular
distribution. If your data follow the straight line on the graph, the distribution fits
your data. This process is simple to do visually. There are many different
classifications of probability distributions. Some of them include the normal
distribution, chi square distribution, binomial distribution, and Poisson
distribution.

Example of normal distribution:

In statistics, a normal distribution is a type of continuous probability distribution for a

real-valued random variable.
Example of chi square distribution:

n probability theory and statistics, the chi-squared distribution with k degrees of

freedom is the distribution of a sum of the squares of k independent standard normal
random variables.

Example of binomial distribution:

In probability theory and statistics, the binomial distribution with parameters n and p is
the discrete probability distribution of the number of successes in a sequence of n
independent experiments, each asking a yes–no question, and each with its own
Boolean-valued outcome: success or failure.
Example of Poisson distribution:

In probability theory and statistics, the Poisson distribution is a discrete probability

distribution that expresses the probability of a given number of events occurring in a
fixed interval of time or space if these events occur with a known constant mean rate
and independently of the time since the last event.

7. Find the test statistic and critical value for this statististics.
 we will have to consider if we are conducting a two-tailed test (typically when
the alternative hypothesis contains a “is not equal to” symbol, or a one-tailed
test (typically used when an inequality is involved in the statement of the
alternative hypothesis).

8. From the type of distribution, confidence level, critical value, and test statistic we
sketch a graph.
 In statistics, critical value is the measurement statisticians use to calculate the
margin of error within a set of data and is expressed as: Critical probability (p*)
= 1 - (Alpha / 2), where Alpha is equal to 1 - (the confidence level / 100).

9. If the test statistic is in our critical region, then we must reject the null hypothesis.
The alternative hypothesis stands. If the test statistic is not in our critical region, then
we fail to reject the null hypothesis. This does not prove that the null hypothesis is true,
but gives a way to quantify how likely it is to be true.
The alternate hypothesis is just an alternative to the null.
For example, if your null is “I'm going to win up to $1,000” then your alternate is “I'm
going to win $1,000 or more.” Basically, you're looking at whether there's enough
change (with the alternate hypothesis) to be able to reject the null hypothesis.

10. We now state the results of the hypothesis test in such a way that the original claim
is addressed.

 Every statistical test that you report should relate directly to a hypothesis. Begin
the results section by restating each hypothesis, then state whether your results
supported it, then give the data and statistics that allowed you to draw this
conclusion.

Prepared by: Charlene A. Valencia

GRADE 11 GAS