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The actual test begins by considering two hypotheses . They are called the null hypothesis and the alternate hypothesis . These hypotheses contain opposing viewpoints.

H o : The null hypothesis: It is a statement about the population that will be assumed to be true unless it can be shown to be incorrect beyond a reasonable doubt.

H a : The alternate hypothesis: It is a claim about the population that is contradictory to H o and what we conclude when we reject H o .

H o : No more than 30% of the registered voters in Santa Clara County voted in the primary election.

H a : More than 30% of the registered voters in Santa Clara County voted in the primary election.

We want to test whether the mean grade point average in American colleges is different from 2.0 (out of 4.0).

H o : μ = 2.0 H a : μ 2.0

We want to test if college students take less than five years to graduate from college, on the average.

H o : μ 5 H a : μ 5

In an issue of U. S. News and World Report , an article on school standards stated that about half of all students in France, Germany, and Israel take advanced placementexams and a third pass. The same article stated that 6.6% of U. S. students take advanced placement exams and 4.4 % pass. Test if the percentage of U. S. students who take advancedplacement exams is more than 6.6%.

H o : p = 0.066 H a : p > 0.066

Since the null and alternate hypotheses are contradictory, you must examine evidence to decide if you have enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis or not. The evidence is in the form of sample data.

After you have determined which hypothesis the sample supports, you make a decision. There are two options for a decision. They are "reject H o " if the sample information favors the alternate hypothesis or "do not reject H o " or "fail to reject H o " if the sample information is insufficient to reject the null hypothesis.

Mathematical Symbols Used in H o and H a :

H o H a
equal ( = ) not equal ( ) or greater than ( > ) or less than ( )
greater than or equal to ( ) less than ( )
less than or equal to ( ) more than ( > )

H o always has a symbol with an equal in it. H a never has a symbol with an equal in it. The choice of symbol depends on the wording of the hypothesis test. However, be aware that many researchers (including one of the co-authors in research work) use = in the Null Hypothesis, even with > or < as the symbol in the Alternate Hypothesis. This practice is acceptable because we only make the decision to reject or not reject the Null Hypothesis.

Optional collaborative classroom activity

Bring to class a newspaper, some news magazines, and some Internet articles . In groups, find articles from which your group can write a null and alternate hypotheses. Discuss yourhypotheses with the rest of the class.

Questions & Answers

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Hajah Reply
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments
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Victoria Reply
HOW CAN MAN ORGAN FUNCTION
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the diagram of the digestive system
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allimentary cannel
Ogenrwot
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They formed in two ways first when one sperm and one egg are splited by mitosis or two sperm and two eggs join together
Oluwatobi
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Genetics is the study of heredity
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discuss biological phenomenon and provide pieces of evidence to show that it was responsible for the formation of eukaryotic organelles
Joseph Reply
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Yousuf Reply
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environment.
Wine
discuss the biological phenomenon and provide pieces of evidence to show that it was responsible for the formation of eukaryotic organelles in an essay form
Joseph Reply
what is the blood cells
Shaker Reply
list any five characteristics of the blood cells
Shaker
lack electricity and its more savely than electronic microscope because its naturally by using of light
Abdullahi Reply
advantage of electronic microscope is easily and clearly while disadvantage is dangerous because its electronic. advantage of light microscope is savely and naturally by sun while disadvantage is not easily,means its not sharp and not clear
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cells is the basic structure and functions of all living things
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ISCONT Reply
is organisms that are similar into groups called tara
Yamosa
in what situation (s) would be the use of a scanning electron microscope be ideal and why?
Kenna Reply
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is ideal for situations requiring high-resolution imaging of surfaces. It is commonly used in materials science, biology, and geology to examine the topography and composition of samples at a nanoscale level. SEM is particularly useful for studying fine details,
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cell is the building block of life.
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Source:  OpenStax, Quantitative information analysis iii. OpenStax CNX. Dec 25, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11155/1.1
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