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Steps in Hypothesis Testing definitions

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  • Null Hypothesis
    A default claim about a population parameter, always written with an equal sign and used as the basis for comparison in hypothesis testing.
  • Alternative Hypothesis
    An opposing claim to the default assumption, expressed with less than, greater than, or not equal symbols, representing what evidence is sought.
  • Population
    The entire group under study, about which claims are made and tested using sample data.
  • Sample
    A subset of the population, used to collect data and infer characteristics about the larger group.
  • Parameter
    A numerical value describing a characteristic of the population, such as mean, proportion, or standard deviation.
  • Test Statistic
    A calculated value, often a z or t score, quantifying how different the sample data is from the claimed population parameter.
  • Z Score
    A standardized value indicating how many standard deviations a sample statistic is from the assumed population mean.
  • T Score
    A standardized value used when the population standard deviation is unknown, measuring sample deviation from the mean.
  • P Value
    A probability representing how likely the observed sample data is, assuming the default claim about the population is true.
  • Significance Level
    A threshold, commonly 0.05, used to determine how unusual a sample must be before rejecting the default claim.
  • Critical Region
    The area in a distribution where, if the p value falls within, the default claim is rejected due to the sample being too unusual.
  • Left-Tailed Test
    A hypothesis test where the alternative claim uses a less than symbol, and the p value is the area to the left of the test statistic.
  • Right-Tailed Test
    A hypothesis test where the alternative claim uses a greater than symbol, and the p value is the area to the right of the test statistic.
  • Two-Tailed Test
    A hypothesis test where the alternative claim uses a not equal symbol, and the p value covers both extremes of the distribution.
  • Sample Mean
    The average value calculated from the sample, used to compare against the population mean in hypothesis testing.