E = row total × column total / grand total, df = (r − 1)(c − 1)
Critical values (α = 0.05)
df 1: 3.841, 2: 5.991, 3: 7.815, 4: 9.488
Decision
reject H0 if χ² > χ²crit
2Practice problems
1.Normal distributionMedium
Drag z so that the shaded area between −z and z under the standard normal curve is 0.4647. Find z to two decimals.
A = 0.4647
z =
2.Normal distributionHard
The battery lifetimes are normally distributed with mean 500 h and standard deviation 40 h. Find the value x below which 75% of them lie (the 75th percentile).
μ = 500σ = 40P = 75%
x = h
3.Confidence intervalsMedium
A sample of 15 items has mean 13.5 and standard deviation s = 14. The population is roughly normal. Find the margin of error E of a 99% confidence interval for the mean.
n = 15x̄ = 13.5s = 1499%t(14) = 2.977
E =
4.Confidence intervalsHard
The diameters of 15 machined shafts have a sample standard deviation of 10 µm. Assuming the diameters are normally distributed, find the lower limit σ of the 95% confidence interval for the population standard deviation. With df = 14, 2.5% of the χ² distribution lies below 5.629 and 2.5% lies above 26.119.
n = 15s = 10 µmχ² = 5.629, 26.119
σ = µm
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsMedium
The mean of a population is claimed to be 120; the population standard deviation is known to be 4. A random sample of 64 observations has a mean of 120.83. Test H₀: μ = 120 against H₁: μ > 120. Find the p-value p.
μ₀ = 120σ = 4n = 64x̄ = 120.83H₁: μ > μ₀
p =
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsHard
A one-sided z test of H₀: μ = 200 against H₁: μ < 200 is done at α = 0.05 with a sample of 100; the standard deviation is known to be 10. In reality the mean is 198.8. Find the probability of a Type II error β in percent.
μ₀ = 200μ = 198.8σ = 10n = 100α = 0.05
β = %
7.Linear regression & correlationMedium
The table gives 6 paired observations of x = hours studied and y = exam score. Their sums are given. Find Pearson's correlation coefficient r from these sums.
The table gives 5 paired observations of x = temperature in °C and y = ice creams sold. Use the least-squares line ŷ = a + b·x. Predict ŷ for x = 17.5.
n = 5x = 17.5
ŷ =
9.Chi-square testsMedium
The contingency table shows observed counts. Compute the chi-square statistic χ² for the test of independence between the row and column variables. Do not use a continuity correction.
N = 1802 × 3
χ² =
10.Chi-square testsHard
A chi-square goodness-of-fit test compares observed counts in 6 categories with fully specified expected proportions (no parameters are estimated from the data). Using the table, find the critical value χ²crit at significance level α = 0.01.
α = 0.01
χ²crit =
3Solutions
1.Normal distribution
Answer: z = 0.62
From an area back to z: Φ(z) is the area to the left of z. For a left-tail area A, find z with Φ(z) = A in the table. A right-tail area A means Φ(z) = 1 − A. A central area A between −z and z leaves (1 − A)/2 in each tail, so Φ(z) = (1 + A)/2. For a value x, use x = μ + zσ.
Area to the left of z
Φ(z) = (1 + 0.4647)/2 = 0.7324
Read the z-table backwards
Find 0.7324 inside the table and read off z.
z = 0.62
Answer
z = 0.62
2.Normal distribution
Answer: x = 527 h
Normal distribution: convert a value x to a z-score, z = (x − μ)/σ, which counts standard deviations from the mean. A z-table (or Φ(z)) gives the area to the left of z, which is P(X < x). The area to the right is 1 − Φ(z), and the area between two values is the difference of their two areas.
z for the percentile
Φ(z) = 0.75 → z = 0.6745
Back to x
x = 500 + 0.6745·40 = 526.98 h
Answer
x = 526.98 h
3.Confidence intervals
Answer: E = 10.76
Confidence interval for a mean: x̄ ± margin of error. With a known population σ the margin is z·σ/√n; with only the sample standard deviation s, use t with n − 1 degrees of freedom: t·s/√n. Critical values: z = 1.645 (90%), 1.96 (95%), 2.576 (99%). To get a margin E or smaller, you need n ≥ (z·σ/E)², rounded up.
Critical value
df = n − 1 = 14, t = 2.977
Margin of error
E = 2.977·14/√15 = 10.76
Answer
E = 10.76
4.Confidence intervals
Answer: σ = 7.321 µm
Interval for a variance: (n − 1)s²/σ² has a χ² distribution with n − 1 degrees of freedom. The 95% interval for σ² runs from (n − 1)s² divided by the upper χ² value (2.5% above it) to (n − 1)s² divided by the lower χ² value (2.5% below it); the interval for σ is the square root of both limits. It is not symmetric around s.
Sum of squares
(n − 1)s² = 14·10² = 1400
Limits for σ²
1400/26.119 = 53.6
1400/5.629 = 248.7
Limit for σ
σ = √53.6 = 7.321 µm
Answer
σ = 7.321 µm
95% interval for σ: [7.321, 15.77] µm.
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: p = 0.04846
Hypothesis test: the test statistic = (estimate − value under H₀)/(standard error under H₀). The p-value is the probability, assuming H₀ is true, of a statistic at least as extreme as the one observed: the area in one tail for a one-sided H₁, twice the tail area for a two-sided H₁. Reject H₀ when p ≤ α.
Test statistic
SE = σ/√n = 4/√64 = 0.5
z = (120.83 − 120)/0.5 = 1.66
Tail area
Φ(1.66) = 0.9515
1 − Φ(1.66) = 0.0485
p-value
p = 0.04846
Answer
p = 0.04846
p ≤ 0.05, so H₀ is rejected at the 5% level.
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: β = 67.18 %
Power of a test: power = 1 − β is the probability of rejecting H₀ when it is false. Find the cutoff x̄c from μ₀ and z_α, then compute the probability of landing beyond x̄c using the true mean: z = (x̄c − μ)/(σ/√n).
Critical sample mean
SE = 10/√100 = 1
x̄c = 200 − 1.645·1 = 198.4
z under the true mean
z = (198.4 − 198.8)/1 = −0.445
Type II error
power = P(Z < −0.445) = 32.82%
β = 100% − 32.82% = 67.18%
Answer
β = 67.18%
7.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: r = 0.9839
Least-squares regression: with x̄ and ȳ the means, Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)², Syy = Σ(y − ȳ)² and Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ), the line ŷ = a + b·x has slope b = Sxy/Sxx and intercept a = ȳ − b·x̄, so it always passes through (x̄, ȳ). Pearson's correlation coefficient r = Sxy/√(Sxx·Syy) lies between −1 and 1; r² is the fraction of the variation in y explained by the line.
Centred sums
Sxy = 2793 − 36·423/6 = 255
Sxx = 286 − 36²/6 = 70
Syy = 30781 − 423²/6 = 959.5
Correlation coefficient
r = 255/√(70·959.5) = 0.9839
Answer
r = 0.9839
8.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: ŷ = 81.55
Least-squares regression: with x̄ and ȳ the means, Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)², Syy = Σ(y − ȳ)² and Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ), the line ŷ = a + b·x has slope b = Sxy/Sxx and intercept a = ȳ − b·x̄, so it always passes through (x̄, ȳ). Pearson's correlation coefficient r = Sxy/√(Sxx·Syy) lies between −1 and 1; r² is the fraction of the variation in y explained by the line.
Means
x̄ = 110/5 = 22
ȳ = 551/5 = 110.2
Sums of squares and products
Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)² = 90
Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ) = 573
Regression line
b = 573/90 = 6.367
a = 110.2 − 6.367·22 = −29.87
ŷ = −29.87 + 6.367·x
Prediction
ŷ = −29.87 + 6.367·17.5 = 81.55
Answer
ŷ = 81.55
9.Chi-square tests
Answer: χ² = 10
Chi-square tests: compare observed counts O with the counts E expected under H₀ using χ² = Σ(O − E)²/E. Goodness of fit: E = n·p for each category, df = k − 1 (minus one more for each parameter estimated from the data). Independence in an r × c table: E = row total × column total / grand total, df = (r − 1)(c − 1). Reject H₀ when χ² exceeds the critical value for the chosen α.
df = 2. At α = 0.05 the critical value is 5.991, so H₀ (independence) is rejected.
10.Chi-square tests
Answer: χ²crit = 15.09
Chi-square tests: compare observed counts O with the counts E expected under H₀ using χ² = Σ(O − E)²/E. Goodness of fit: E = n·p for each category, df = k − 1 (minus one more for each parameter estimated from the data). Independence in an r × c table: E = row total × column total / grand total, df = (r − 1)(c − 1). Reject H₀ when χ² exceeds the critical value for the chosen α.
Degrees of freedom
df = 6 − 1 = 5
Table
χ²crit(df = 5, α = 0.01) = 15.086
Answer
χ²crit = 15.086
Reject H₀ if the computed χ² is larger than this value.