McGraw Hill Glencoe Algebra 2, 2012
MH
McGraw Hill Glencoe Algebra 2, 2012 View details
2. Angles and Angle Measure
Continue to next subchapter

Exercise 62 Page 805

The null hypothesis is a statement of equality to be tested. The alternative hypothesis is a statement of inequality that is the complement of the null hypothesis.

H_0: μ = 2
H_a: μ ≠ 2
Claim: μ = 2

Practice makes perfect

A hypothesis test is used to asses a specific claim about the mean of a population.

Typical Claims About the Mean
The mean is equal to a specific value. The mean is greater than a specific value. The mean is less than a specific value.

There are two parts to a hypothesis test — the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis.

  • The null hypothesis H_0 is a statement of equality to be tested.
  • The alternative hypothesis H_a is a statement of inequality that is the complement of the null hypothesis.

A claim can be part of the null or alternative hypothesis. With the above facts in mind, let's consider the given statement.

Juanita says that she has two umbrellas in her car.

Notice that Juanita's claim is a statement of equality. Therefore, we can relate the claim with the null hypothesis. Consequently, the alternative hypothesis is the complement.

Null Hypothesis Alternative Hypothesis
The mean is equal to 2 umbrellas (claim)
H_0:μ = 2
The mean is not equal to 2 umbrellas
H_a:μ ≠ 2