t Test for a Mean

The t test is a statistical test for the mean of a

population and is used when the population is normally or
approximately normally distributed, is unknown. The
formula for the t test is

The degrees of freedom are d.f. = n - 1.

The critical values for the t test are given in Table F.

For a one-tailed test, find the level by looking at the top
row of the table and finding the appropriate column. Find
the degrees of freedom by looking down the left-hand
column.
 As the degrees of freedom get larger, the critical
values approach the z values. Hence the bottom values
(large sample size) are the same as the z values that were
used in the last section.

Example 8 Find the critical t value for 0.05 with d.f. = 16 for a
right-tailed t test.
Example 9 Find the critical t value for 0.01 with d.f. = 22
for a left-tailed test.

Solution
Find the 0.01 column in the row labeled One tail, and find
22 in the left column. The critical value is -2.508 since the
test is a one-tailed left test.

Example 10 Find the critical values for 0.10 with d.f. = 18

for a two-tailed t test.

Solution
Find the 0.10 column in the row labeled Two tails, and find
18 in the column labeled d.f. The critical values are +1.734
and -1.734.
Example 11 Find the critical value for 0.05 with d.f. = 28 for
a right-tailed t test.

Solution
Find the 0.05 column in the One-tail row and 28 in the left
column. The critical value is +1.701.
 When you test hypotheses by using the t test
(traditional method), follow the same procedure as for the z
test, except use Table F.

Step 1 State the hypotheses and identify the claim.

Step 2 Find the critical value(s) from Table F.
Step 3 Compute the test value
Step 4 Make the decision to reject or not reject the null
hypothesis.
Step 5 Summarize the results.

Remember that the t test should be used when the

population is approximately normally distributed and the
population standard deviation is unknown.
Example 12 Hospital Infections
A medical investigation claims that the average
number of infections per week at a hospital in southwestern
Pennsylvania is 16.3. A random sample of 10 weeks had a
mean number of 17.7 infections. The sample standard
deviation is 1.8. Is there enough evidence to reject the
investigator’s claim at 0.05?

Solution
Step 1 (claim) and .
Step 2 The critical values are +2.262 and -2.262 for 0.05
and d.f. = 9.
Step 3 The test value is
Step 4 Reject the null hypothesis since 2.46 > 2.262. See
Figure 22.

Figure 22 Summary of the t Test of Example 12

Step 5 There is enough evidence to reject the claim that

the average number of infections is 16.3.
Example 13 Substitute Teachers’ Salaries
An educator claims that the average salary of
substitute teachers in school districts in Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania, is less than $60 per day. A random sample of
eight school districts is selected, and the daily salaries (in
dollars) are shown. Is there enough evidence to support
the educator’s claim at 0.10?

60 56 60 55 70 55 60 55

Solution
Step 1 and (claim).
Step 2 At 0.10 and d.f. = 7, the critical value is -1.415.
Step 3 To compute the test value, the mean and standard
deviation must be found. and s= 5.08.
Step 4 Do not reject the null hypothesis since -0.624 falls in
the noncritical region.

Figure 23 Critical Value and Test Value for Example 13

Step 5 There is not enough evidence to support the
educator’s claim that the average salary of substitute
teachers in Allegheny County is less than $60 per day.
Example 14 Find the P-value when the t test value is 2.056,
the sample size is 11, and the test is right-tailed.

Solution

To get the P-value, look across the row with 10

degrees of freedom (d.f. = n- 1) in Table F and find the two
values that 2.056 falls between. They are 1.812 and 2.228.
Since this is a right-tailed test, look up to the row labeled
One tail, and find the two values corresponding to 1.812
and 2.228. They are 0.05 and 0.025, respectively. See Figure
24.
Figure 24 Finding the P-Value for Example 14
 Hence, the P-value would be contained in the interval
0.025 < P-value <0.05. This means that the P-value is
between 0.025 and 0.05. If a were 0.05, you would reject
the null hypothesis since the P-value is less than 0.05. But
if a were 0.01, you would not reject the null hypothesis
since the P-value is greater than 0.01. (Actually, it is greater
than 0.025.)

Example 15 Find the P-value when the t test value is 2.983,

the sample size is 6, and the test is two-tailed.

Solution
To get the P-value, look across the row with d.f. = 5
and find the two values that 2.983 falls between. They are
2.571 and 3.365. Then look up to the row labeled Two tails,
to find the corresponding a values.
 In this case, they are 0.05 and 0.02. Hence the P-value
is contained in the interval 0.02 <P-value <0.05. This means
that the P-value is between 0.02 and 0.05. In this case, if
0.05, the null hypothesis can be rejected since
P-value< 0.05; but if 0.01, the null hypothesis cannot be
rejected since P-value> 0.01 (actually P-value > 0.02).

To test hypotheses using the P-value method, follow

the following steps:

Step 1 State the hypotheses and identify the claim.

Step 2 Compute the test value.
Step 3 Find the P-value.
Step 4 Make the decision.
Step 5 Summarize the results.
Example 16 Jogger’s Oxygen Uptake

A physician claims that joggers’ maximal volume

oxygen uptake is greater than the average of all adults. A
sample of 15 joggers has a mean of 40.6 milliliters per
kilogram (ml/kg) and a standard deviation of 6 ml/kg. If the
average of all adults is 36.7 ml/kg, is there enough
evidence to support the physician’s claim at 0.05?

Solution

Step 1 State the hypotheses and identify the claim.

and (claim)

Step 2 Compute the test value. The test value is

Step 3 Find the P-value. Looking across the row with
d.f. = 14 in Table F, you see that 2.517 falls between 2.145
and 2.624, corresponding to 0.025 and 0.01 since this is a
right-tailed test. Hence, P-value >0.01 and
P-value <0.025 or 0.01 <P-value <0.025. That is, the P-
value is somewhere between 0.01 and 0.025. (The P-value
obtained from a calculator is 0.012.)

Step 4 Reject the null hypothesis since P-value <0.05

(that is, P-value ).
Step 5 There is enough evidence to support the claim
that the joggers’ maximal volume oxygen
uptake is greater than 36.7 ml/kg.
When to use the z test or t test.

1. If is known, use the z test. The variable must be normally

distributed if n <30.
2. If is unknown but n 30, use the t test.
3. If is unknown and n <30, use the t test. (The population
must be approximately normally distributed.)
Excel Hypothesis Test for the Mean: t Test

Using Example 13 on Substitute Teachers’ Salaries

An educator claims that the average salary of
substitute teachers in school districts in Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania, is less than $60 per day. A random sample of
eight school districts is selected, and the daily salaries (in
dollars) are shown. Is there enough evidence to support
the educator’s claim at 0.10?

60 56 60 55 70 55 60 55

and (claim).
 At the 10% significance level, test the claim that .
The MegaStat t test uses the P-value method. Therefore, it
is not necessary to enter a significance level.

1. Enter the data into column A of a new worksheet.

2. From the toolbar, select Add-Ins, MegaStat>Hypothesis
Tests>Mean vs.Hypothesized Value.
3. Select data input and type A1:A8 as the Input Range.
4. Type 60 for the Hypothesized mean and select the “less
than” Alternative.5. Select t test and click [OK].
Problems:

I. Find the critical value (or values) for the t test for each.
a. n =10, 0.05, right-tailed
b. n=18, 0.10, two-tailed
c. n = 6, 0.01, left-tailed
d. n =9, 0.025, right-tailed
e. n =15, 0.05, two-tailed
f. n=23, 0.005, left-tailed
g. n = 28, 0.01, two-tailed
h. n = 17, 0.02, two-tailed
II. Using Table F, find the P-value interval for each
test value.
a. t =2.321, n = 15, right-tailed
b. t = 1.945, n = 28, two-tailed
c. t = 21.267, n = 8, left-tailed
d. t = 1.562, n = 17, two-tailed
e. t =3.025, n = 24, right-tailed
f. t = 21.145, n = 5, left-tailed
g. t =2.179, n = 13, two-tailed
h. t = 0.665, n = 10, right-tailed
III. Perform each of the following steps.
a. State the hypotheses and identify the claim.
b. Find the critical value(s).
c. Find the test value.
d. Make the decision.
e. Summarize the results.

Use the traditional method of hypothesis testing

unless otherwise specified.
Assume that the population is approximately
normally distributed.
1. Veterinary Expenses of Cat Owners According to the
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, cat
owners spend an average of $179 annually in routine
veterinary visits. A random sample of local cat owners
revealed that 10 randomly selected owners spent an
average of $205 with s = $26. Is there a significant statistical
difference at 0.01?
2. Doctor Visits A report by the Gallup Poll stated that on
average a woman visits her physician 5.8 times a year. A
researcher randomly selects 20 women and obtained these
data.
3 2 1 3 7 2 9 4 6 6
8 0 5 6 4 2 1 3 4 1
At a 5 0.05 can it be concluded that the average is still
5.8 visits per year? Use the P-value method.
3. Average Family Size The average family size was
reported as 3.18. A random sample of families in a
particular school district resulted in the following family
sizes:

5 4 5 4 4 3 6 4 3 3
5 6 3 3 2 7 4 5 2 2
2 3 5 2

At 0.05, does the average family size differ from the

national average?