What is Hypothesis Testing?
Hypothesis testing is a statistical method used to make decisions about the properties of a population based on sample data. 🧐 It involves setting up two competing hypotheses: the null hypothesis (H0) and the alternative hypothesis (Ha).
The Process of Hypothesis Testing
- Formulate the Hypotheses: Start by defining your null and alternative hypotheses.
- Choose a Significance Level (α): Common values are 0.05 or 0.01.
- Collect and Analyze Data: Execute experiments or surveys to gather data.
- Compute Test Statistics: Use appropriate statistical tests to analyze the data.
- Make a Decision: Based on test results, either reject H0 or fail to reject it.
Why Hypothesis Testing Matters
Hypothesis testing allows researchers and decision-makers to make informed decisions by providing a framework to evaluate claims about a population. 🌟 This technique is widely used in finance, medicine, psychology, and many other fields.