H Y P O T H E S IS T E ST IN G

OBJECTIVES:
• Define hypothesis testing.
• State the null and alternative
hypothesis.
• Identify the procedure in
hypothesis testing.
A hypothesis test is a process that
uses sample statistics to test a
claim about the value of a
population parameter.
A statistical hypothesis is a
conjecture about a population
parameter. This conjecture may or
may not be true.
 In hypothesis testing, the following steps are recommended.

a. State the hypotheses. Be sure to state both the null and

alternative hypotheses.
b. Design the study. This step includes selecting the
correct statistical test, choosing a level of significance, and
formulating a plan to carry out the study. The plan should
include information such as the definition of the
population, the way the sample will be selected, and the
methods that will be used to collect the data.
 In hypothesis testing, the following steps are recommended.

c. Conduct the study and collect the data.

d. Evaluate the data. The data should be tabulated in this
step, and the statistical
test should be conducted. Finally, decide whether to reject
or not reject the null
hypothesis.
e. Summarize the results.
The null hypothesis, symbolized by , is a
statistical hypothesis that states that there
is no difference between a parameter and a
specific value, or that there is no difference
between two parameters.
The alternative hypothesis, symbolized
by , is a statistical hypothesis that states
the existence of a difference between a
parameter and a specific value, or states
that there is a difference between two
parameters.
 SITUATION 1

A medical researcher is interested in finding out

whether a new medication will have any undesirable
side effects. The researcher is particularly concerned
with the pulse rate of the patients who take the
medication. The researcher knows that the mean
pulse rate for the population under study is 82
beats per minute. Will the pulse rate increase,
decrease, or remain unchanged after a patient takes
the medication?
 SITUATION 2

A chemist invents an additive to increase the

life of an automobile battery. The mean lifetime
of the automobile battery without the additive
is 36 months.
 SITUATION 3

A contractor wishes to lower electric bills

by using a special type of insulation in
houses. The average of the monthly
electric bills is 4750 pesos.
 State the null and alternative hypotheses for each
conjecture.

a. A researcher thinks that the average amount of

sugar consumed by an adult is less than 147
pounds per year.
b. A researcher feels that the average age a person
gives up driving an automobile is greater than 85
years old.
c. A researcher thinks that the average time it takes
a person to fall asleep is less than 15 minutes.
 State the null and alternative hypotheses for each
conjecture.

d. Fifty-four percent of car accidents are caused by

sleep deprivation.
e. More than 40% of Filipinos have a “lucky
number.”
f. Less than 62% of spouses keep some money
hidden from their significant other.
Solution:
• the null hypothesis is always stated using the equals sign;
this is done because in most professional journals, and
when we test the null hypothesis, the assumption is that
the mean, proportion, or standard deviation is equal to a
given specific value.
• Also, when a researcher conducts a study, the researcher
is generally looking for evidence to support a claim.
Therefore, the claim should be stated as the alternative
hypothesis, i.e., using < or > or ≠. Because of this, the
alternative hypothesis is sometimes called the research
hypothesis.
• A claim, however, can be stated as either
the null hypothesis or the alternative
hypothesis; but the statistical evidence can
only support the claim if it is the
alternative hypothesis. Statistical evidence
can be used to reject the claim if the claim
is the null hypothesis. These facts are
important when you are stating the
conclusion of a statistical study.
• Sometimes a claim can be stated using the
words “at least” or “at most.” In these
cases, the claims are null hypotheses.
A statistical test uses the data obtained from
a sample to make a decision about whether the
null hypothesis should be rejected.

The numerical value obtained from a statistical

test is called the test statistic.
• In the hypothesis-testing situation, there are
four possible outcomes.
• In reality, the null hypothesis may or may
not be true, and a decision is made to reject
or not reject it on the basis of the data
obtained from a sample.
The four possibilities are as follows:
1. We reject the null hypothesis when it is true. This would be an
incorrect decision and would result in a type I error.
2. We reject the null hypothesis when it is false. This would be a
correct decision.
3. We do not reject the null hypothesis when it is true. This would
be a correct decision.
4. We do not reject the null hypothesis when it is false. This would
be an incorrect decision and would result in a type II error.
A type I error occurs if you reject
the null hypothesis when it is true.
A type II error occurs if you do not
reject the null hypothesis when it is
false.
The level of significance is the maximum
probability of committing a type I error.
This probability is symbolized by α (Greek
letter alpha). That is, P(type I error) = α.
The critical or rejection region is the range of test
statistics that indicates that there is a significant
difference and that the null hypothesis should be rejected.

The noncritical or nonrejection region is the range of

test statistics that indicates that the difference was
probably due to chance and that the null hypothesis
should not be rejected.

The critical value separates the critical region from the

noncritical region. The symbol for critical value is C.V.
A one-tailed test indicates that the null
hypothesis should be rejected when the
test statistic is in the critical region on one
side of the mean. A one-tailed test is either
a right-tailed test or a left-tailed test,
depending on the direction of the
inequality of the alternative hypothesis.
Critical and Noncritical Region for
(Right-Tailed Test)
Critical and Noncritical Region for
(Left-Tailed Test)
In a two-tailed test, the null
hypothesis should be rejected when
the test statistic is in either of the two
critical regions.
Critical and Noncritical Region for
(Two-Tailed Test)
HYPOTHESIS
TESTING –
TRADITIONAL
METHOD
Z Test for t h e Me a n
There are 100 patients in hospital X who are
suspected to have dengue. The randomly
selected patients are known to exhibit the
symptoms within 72 hours. Conduct a
hypothesis test to determine if the symptoms
of dengue were exhibited earlier than the
common or average 96 hours with a standard
deviation of 16 hours. Use 0.01 level of
significance.
Employees at a construction and mining company
claim that the mean salary of the company’s
mechanical engineers is less than that of one of its
competitors, which is $95,600. A random sample of 20
of the company’s mechanical engineers has a mean
salary of $93,300. Assume the population standard
deviation is $9500 and the population is normally
distributed. At α = 0.05, test the employees’ claim.
A researcher claims that the average wind
speed in a certain city is 8 miles per hour. A
sample of 32 days has an average wind speed
of 8.2 miles per hour. The standard deviation
of the population is 0.6 mile per hour. At α =
0.05, conduct a hypothesis test.
In auto racing, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle
stops for new tires, fuel, repairs, and other mechanical
adjustments. The efficiency of a pit crew that makes
these adjustments can affect the outcome of a race. A
pit crew claims that its mean pit stop time (for 4 new
tires and fuel) is less than 13 seconds. A random
sample of 32 pit stop times has a sample mean of 12.9
seconds. Assume the population standard deviation is
0.19 second. Is there enough evidence to support the
claim at a = 0.01?
A researcher believes that the average
number of hours a person spends in traffic
each year is more than the national average
of 46 (Texas Transportation Institute).
Assume the population standard deviation is
3.6 years. A random sample of 30 subjects is
selected and the mean time of the sample is
47.8 hours. Test the claim at α = 0.05.
It was reported in USA TODAY that American adults
skip breakfast on average 50 times per year. A
researcher selects a random sample of 40 adults and
finds that the mean number of times a person skipped
breakfast over one period was not equal to 51.2 times.
Assume that the population standard deviation is 3.1.
At α = 0.01, can it be concluded that the mean is not
equal to 50?
For a specific year, the average score on the SAT Math test was 515
(source: www.chacha.com.) The variable is normally distributed,
and the population standard deviation is 100. A school
superintendent wishes to see if her students scored significantly
below the national average on the test. She randomly selected 36
student scores, as shown. At α = 0.10, is there enough evidence to
support the claim?
t Test for t h e M e a n
A medical investigation claims that the average
number of infections per week at a hospital in
Metro Manila is 16.3. A random sample of 10
weeks had a mean number of 17.7 infections. The
sample standard deviation is 1.8. Is there enough
evidence to reject the investigator’s claim at
α = 0.05? Assume the variable is normally
distributed.
The average 1­-ounce chocolate chip cookie contains
110 calories. A random sample of 15 different brands
of 1­-ounce chocolate chip cookies resulted in the
following calorie amounts. At the α = 0.01 level, is
there sufficient evidence that the average calorie
content is greater than 110 calories?
A study found that people keep an automobile on
average for 6.5 years. A researcher believes that the
average time a person keeps their vehicle is less than
6.5 years. A random sample of 10 automobile owners
was selected and the number of years that they kept
their last automobile is shown. Test the claim at α =
0.10. Assume the variable is normally distributed.
A physician claims that joggers’ maximal
volume oxygen uptake is greater than the
average of all adults. A random sample of 15
joggers has a mean of 40.6 milliliters per
kilogram (ml/kg) and a standard deviation
of 6 ml/kg. If the average of all adults is
36.7 ml/kg, is there enough evidence to
support the physician’s claim at α = 0.05?
Assume the variable is normally distributed.
ZTes t fo r a P r o po r t i o n
A hypothesis test involving a
population proportion can be
considered as a binomial
experiment when there are only two
outcomes and the probability of a
success does not change from trial
to trial.
An insurance industry report indicated that
30% of those persons involved in minor traffic
accidents this year have been involved in at
least one other traffic accident in the last five
years. An advisory group decided to investigate
this claim, believing it was to large. A sample of
200 traffic accidents this year showed that 56
persons were also involved in another accident
within the last five years. Use
α = 0.10.
A report stated that 31.9% of babies are
delivered by Caesarean section. A
researcher believes that the percentage is
less than 31.9% in a large hospital. The
researcher randomly selected 50 newborn
infants and found that 13 were born by
Caesarean section. At α = 0.01, is there
enough evidence to support the claim?
In the website of a certain brand of chocolate candies,
it was stated that an ideal bag of chocolates contains
24% blue, 20% orange, 16% green, 14% yellow, 13%
red, and 13% brown candies. Suppose that we
counted the number of blue candies in 40 chocolate
candies sachet packs, and the mean proportion from
the sample is 23.04%. At 0.05 level of significance,
can we say that the percentage of blue candies in
chocolate candy bags these days is no longer 24%?
A survey found that 56% of voters believe that marijuana
should be legalized for recreational use. A random sample of
60 nineteen-year old students showed that 43 said that
marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. Can it be
concluded at α = 0.05 that the proportion of nineteen-year-
old students who believe that marijuana should be legalized
for recreational use is the same as the proportion of voters?
Source: Civis Analytics Survey