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 0.7373. Find z to two decimals.
A = 0.7373
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 20 items has mean 48 and standard deviation s = 2. The population is roughly normal. Find the margin of error E of a 95% confidence interval for the mean.
n = 20x̄ = 48s = 295%t(19) = 2.093
E =
4.Confidence intervalsHard
The population standard deviation is 34. How large a sample n do you need so that a 90% confidence interval for the mean has a margin of error of at most 5?
σ = 34E = 590%
n =
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsMedium
A sample of 25 students has a mean score of 118.6 and a sample standard deviation of 5. Find the test statistic t for H₀: μ = 120.
μ₀ = 120x̄ = 118.6s = 5n = 25
t =
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsHard
A sample of 81 measurements has mean 50.8. The population standard deviation is 5. Find the upper limit U of the 95% confidence interval for the mean.
x̄ = 50.8σ = 5n = 8195%
U =
7.Linear regression & correlationMedium
The table gives 6 paired observations of x = advertising spend in k€ and y = sales in k€. Find the coefficient of determination r² of the least-squares line.
n = 6
r² =
8.Linear regression & correlationHard
The table gives 6 paired observations of x = advertising spend in k€ and y = sales in k€. Use the least-squares line ŷ = a + b·x. A new observation (2.5, 46) is made. Find its residual e = y − ŷ.
n = 6(2.5, 46)
e =
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 = 1202 × 3
χ² =
10.Chi-square testsHard
A chi-square test of independence is carried out on a contingency table with 3 rows and 3 columns (not counting the totals). Using the table, find the critical value χ²crit at significance level α = 0.05.
α = 0.05
χ²crit =
3Solutions
1.Normal distribution
Answer: z = 1.12
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 + 0.7373)/2 = 0.8686
Read the z-table backwards
Find 0.8686 inside the table and read off z.
z = 1.12
Answer
z = 1.12
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 = 0.936
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 = 19, t = 2.093
Margin of error
E = 2.093·2/√20 = 0.936
Answer
E = 0.936
4.Confidence intervals
Answer: n = 126
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.
Solve for n
n = (1.645·34/5)² = 125.1
Round up
A sample size is a whole number, and rounding down would make the margin too large.
n = 126
Answer
n = 126
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: t = −1.4
Testing a mean: the test statistic measures how many standard errors the sample mean lies from the value claimed in H₀: z = (x̄ − μ₀)/(σ/√n) when σ is known, t = (x̄ − μ₀)/(s/√n) when it is estimated from the sample. A confidence interval is x̄ ± (critical value)·(standard error).
Standard error
SE = 5/√25 = 5/5 = 1
Test statistic
t = (118.6 − 120)/1 = −1.4
Answer
t = −1.4
t0.025; df = 24 = 2.064
|t| < 2.064, so H₀ is not rejected at the 5% level (two-sided).
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: U = 51.89
Testing a mean: the test statistic measures how many standard errors the sample mean lies from the value claimed in H₀: z = (x̄ − μ₀)/(σ/√n) when σ is known, t = (x̄ − μ₀)/(s/√n) when it is estimated from the sample. A confidence interval is x̄ ± (critical value)·(standard error).
Margin of error
E = 1.96·5/√81 = 1.089
Interval limit
U = 50.8 + 1.089 = 51.89
Answer
U = 51.89
7.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: r² = 0.96
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 = 33/6 = 5.5
ȳ = 367/6 = 61.17
Sums of squares and products
Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)² = 17.5
Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ) = 113.5
Syy = Σ(y − ȳ)² = 766.8
Coefficient of determination
r² = 113.5²/(17.5·766.8) = 0.96
Answer
r² = 0.96
About 96% of the variation in y is explained by the line.
8.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: e = −2.562
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 = 27/6 = 4.5
ȳ = 338/6 = 56.33
Sums of squares and products
Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)² = 17.5
Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ) = 68
Regression line
b = 68/17.5 = 3.886
a = 56.33 − 3.886·4.5 = 38.85
ŷ = 38.85 + 3.886·x
Predicted value
ŷ = 38.85 + 3.886·2.5 = 48.56
Residual
e = 46 − 48.56 = −2.562
Answer
e = −2.562
The point lies below the line.
9.Chi-square tests
Answer: χ² = 0.975
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 not rejected.
10.Chi-square tests
Answer: χ²crit = 9.488
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 = (3 − 1)·(3 − 1) = 4
Table
χ²crit(df = 4, α = 0.05) = 9.488
Answer
χ²crit = 9.488
Reject H₀ if the computed χ² is larger than this value.