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
The battery lifetimes are normally distributed with mean 500 h and standard deviation 40 h. What fraction lies between 440 and 580 h? Give P as a decimal.
μ = 500σ = 40x1 = 440x2 = 580
P =
2.Normal distributionHard
The battery lifetimes are normally distributed with mean 500 h and standard deviation 40 h. Find the value x below which 10% of them lie (the 10th percentile).
μ = 500σ = 40P = 10%
x = h
3.Confidence intervalsMedium
A sample of 30 items has mean 90.5 and standard deviation s = 1.5. The population is roughly normal. Find the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for the mean.
n = 30x̄ = 90.5s = 1.595%t(29) = 2.045
upper limit =
4.Confidence intervalsHard
The population standard deviation is 21. 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 0.5?
σ = 21E = 0.590%
n =
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsMedium
Two teaching methods are compared. Group 1: 18 students, mean score 27.5, standard deviation 12. Group 2: 8 students, mean score 20.6, standard deviation 7. Assume equal population variances and use the pooled two-sample t test. Find the test statistic t for H₀: μ₁ = μ₂, taking the difference as x̄₁ − x̄₂ (group 1 minus group 2).
n₁ = 18x̄₁ = 27.5s₁ = 12n₂ = 8x̄₂ = 20.6s₂ = 7
t =
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsHard
A sample of 16 measurements has mean 505.3. The population standard deviation is 10. Find the lower limit L of the 95% confidence interval for the mean.
x̄ = 505.3σ = 10n = 1695%
L =
7.Linear regression & correlationMedium
The table gives 6 paired observations of x = temperature in °C and y = ice creams sold. Their sums are given. Find Pearson's correlation coefficient r from these sums.
The table gives 5 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, 51) is made. Find its residual e = y − ŷ.
n = 5(2.5, 51)
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 goodness-of-fit test checks whether counts in 4 categories follow a Poisson distribution whose mean is estimated from the same data. Using the table, find the critical value χ²crit at significance level α = 0.05.
α = 0.05
χ²crit =
3Solutions
1.Normal distribution
Answer: P = 0.9104
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-scores
z₁ = (440 − 500)/40 = −1.5
z₂ = (580 − 500)/40 = 2
Area between
P = Φ(2) − Φ(−1.5) = 0.9772 − 0.06681 = 0.9104
Answer
P = 0.9104
2.Normal distribution
Answer: x = 448.7 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) = 0.1 → z = −1.282
Back to x
x = 500 + −1.282·40 = 448.74 h
Answer
x = 448.74 h
3.Confidence intervals
Answer: upper limit = 91.06
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 = 29, t = 2.045
Margin of error
E = 2.045·1.5/√30 = 0.56
Interval
90.5 ± 0.56 → [89.94, 91.06]
Answer
upper limit = 91.06
4.Confidence intervals
Answer: n = 4774
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 = (1.645·21/0.5)² = 4773
Round up
A sample size is a whole number, and rounding down would make the margin too large.
n = 4774
Answer
n = 4774
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: t = 1.506
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.
Pooled variance
sp² = (17·12² + 7·7²)/24 = 116.3
sp = 10.78
Standard error
SE = 10.78·√(1/18 + 1/8) = 4.582
Test statistic
t = (27.5 − 20.6)/4.582 = 1.506
Answer
t = 1.506
With df = 24, the two-sided 5% critical value is 2.064; |t| is smaller, so H₀ is not rejected.
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: L = 500.4
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).
Margin of error
E = 1.96·10/√16 = 4.9
Interval limit
L = 505.3 − 4.9 = 500.4
Answer
L = 500.4
7.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: r = 0.993
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 = 14458 − 126·667/6 = 451
Sxx = 2716 − 126²/6 = 70
Syy = 77095 − 667²/6 = 2947
Correlation coefficient
r = 451/√(70·2947) = 0.993
Answer
r = 0.993
8.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: e = 5.45
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 = 15/5 = 3
ȳ = 241/5 = 48.2
Sums of squares and products
Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)² = 10
Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ) = 53
Regression line
b = 53/10 = 5.3
a = 48.2 − 5.3·3 = 32.3
ŷ = 32.3 + 5.3·x
Predicted value
ŷ = 32.3 + 5.3·2.5 = 45.55
Residual
e = 51 − 45.55 = 5.45
Answer
e = 5.45
The point lies above the line.
9.Chi-square tests
Answer: χ² = 13.2
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 = 5.991
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 = 4 − 1 − 1 = 2
Table
χ²crit(df = 2, α = 0.05) = 5.991
Answer
χ²crit = 5.991
Reject H₀ if the computed χ² is larger than this value.