Hypothesis testing
Hypothesis testing Hypothesis testing is a form of statistical inference that uses data from a sample to draw conclusions about a population parameter or a population probability distribution . First, a tentative assumption is made about the parameter or distribution. This assumption is called the null hypothesis and is denoted by H 0 . An alternative hypothesis (denoted H a ), which is the opposite of what is stated in the null hypothesis, is then defined. The hypothesis-testing procedure involves using sample data to determine whether or not H 0 can be rejected. If H 0 is rejected, the statistical conclusion is that the alternative hypothesis H a is true. For example, assume that a radio station selects the music it plays based on the assumption that the average age of its listening audience is 30 years. To determine whether this assumption is valid, a hypothesis test could be conducted with the null hypothesis given as H 0 : μ = 30 and the alternative hypothe