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 under the standard normal curve, to the right of z, is 0.9382. Find z to two decimals.
A = 0.9382
z =
2.Normal distributionHard
The heights of adult men are normally distributed with mean 178 cm and standard deviation 7 cm. Drag the cut-off so the shaded top 90% is to the right of it. Find the cut-off x.
μ = 178 cmσ = 7 cm90%
x = cm
3.Confidence intervalsMedium
The battery life of two phone models is compared. Model 1: 40 phones, mean 114 h, known standard deviation 11 h. Model 2: 30 phones, mean 106.5 h, known standard deviation 9 h. Find the lower limit of the 99% confidence interval for μ₁ − μ₂.
The diameters of 11 machined shafts have a sample standard deviation of 11.1 µm. Assuming the diameters are normally distributed, find the lower limit σ of the 95% confidence interval for the population standard deviation. With df = 10, 2.5% of the χ² distribution lies below 3.247 and 2.5% lies above 20.483.
n = 11s = 11.1 µmχ² = 3.247, 20.483
σ = µm
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsMedium
Two teaching methods are compared. Group 1: 5 students, mean score 26, standard deviation 2.5. Group 2: 12 students, mean score 30, standard deviation 2. 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 = 5x̄₁ = 26s₁ = 2.5n₂ = 12x̄₂ = 30s₂ = 2
t =
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsHard
A sample of 81 measurements has mean 120.3. The population standard deviation is 5. Find the lower limit L of the 90% confidence interval for the mean.
x̄ = 120.3σ = 5n = 8190%
L =
7.Linear regression & correlationMedium
The table gives 5 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 = 5
r² =
8.Linear regression & correlationHard
The table gives 5 paired observations of x = load in kN and y = extension in mm. Use the least-squares line ŷ = a + b·x. Predict ŷ for x = 7.
n = 5x = 7
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 = 1402 × 3
χ² =
10.Chi-square testsHard
A chi-square goodness-of-fit test checks whether counts in 7 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: z = −1.54
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 − 0.9382 = 0.0618
Read the z-table backwards
Find 0.0618 inside the table and read off z.
z = −1.54
Answer
z = −1.54
2.Normal distribution
Answer: x = 169 cm
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
Φ(z) = 0.1
z from the table
z ≈ −1.28
Back to the original units
x = 178 − 1.28·7 = 169 cm
Answer
x = 169 cm
3.Confidence intervals
Answer: lower limit = 1.336 h
Interval for a difference: estimate ± critical value × standard error. For two independent means with known σ: SE = √(σ₁²/n₁ + σ₂²/n₂) and z. With equal unknown variances: pooled s_p and t with n₁ + n₂ − 2 degrees of freedom. For paired data, work with the differences: d̄ ± t·s_d/√n.
Point estimate
x̄₁ − x̄₂ = 114 − 106.5 = 7.5
Standard error
SE = √(11²/40 + 9²/30) = 2.393
Margin of error
E = 2.576·2.393 = 6.164
Interval
7.5 ± 6.164 → [1.336, 13.66]
Answer
lower limit = 1.336 h
The interval does not contain 0, so the means differ significantly.
4.Confidence intervals
Answer: σ = 7.756 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 = 10·11.1² = 1232
Limits for σ²
1232/20.483 = 60.15
1232/3.247 = 379.5
Limit for σ
σ = √60.15 = 7.756 µm
Answer
σ = 7.756 µm
95% interval for σ: [7.756, 19.48] µm.
5.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: t = −3.504
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 = (4·2.5² + 11·2²)/15 = 4.6
sp = 2.145
Standard error
SE = 2.145·√(1/5 + 1/12) = 1.142
Test statistic
t = (26 − 30)/1.142 = −3.504
Answer
t = −3.504
With df = 15, the two-sided 5% critical value is 2.131; |t| is larger, so H₀ is rejected.
6.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: L = 119.4
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 = 1.645·5/√81 = 0.9139
Interval limit
L = 120.3 − 0.9139 = 119.4
Answer
L = 119.4
7.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: r² = 0.9914
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 = 35/5 = 7
ȳ = 289/5 = 57.8
Sums of squares and products
Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)² = 40
Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ) = 214
Syy = Σ(y − ȳ)² = 1155
Coefficient of determination
r² = 214²/(40·1155) = 0.9914
Answer
r² = 0.9914
About 99.14% of the variation in y is explained by the line.
8.Linear regression & correlation
Answer: ŷ = 23.25
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 = 30/5 = 6
ȳ = 101/5 = 20.2
Sums of squares and products
Sxx = Σ(x − x̄)² = 40
Sxy = Σ(x − x̄)(y − ȳ) = 122
Regression line
b = 122/40 = 3.05
a = 20.2 − 3.05·6 = 1.9
ŷ = 1.9 + 3.05·x
Prediction
ŷ = 1.9 + 3.05·7 = 23.25
Answer
ŷ = 23.25
9.Chi-square tests
Answer: χ² = 25.13
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 = 11.07
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 = 7 − 1 − 1 = 5
Table
χ²crit(df = 5, α = 0.05) = 11.070
Answer
χ²crit = 11.070
Reject H₀ if the computed χ² is larger than this value.