Chapter 13: Problem 427
Find the probability that a t-distribution has a t score (a) greater than \(1.740\) when d.o.f. \(=17\) (b) less than \(-1.323\) when d.o.f. \(=21\).
Short Answer
Expert verified
The probability of a t-score greater than 1.740 with 17 degrees of freedom is 0.95, and the probability of a t-score less than -1.323 with 21 degrees of freedom is 0.10.
Step by step solution
01
(a) Finding probability for t-score greater than 1.740 with d.o.f. = 17
:
1. First, identify the degrees of freedom (d.o.f.), which is 17 in this case.
2. Using a t-distribution table, look for the row corresponding to the given d.o.f.
3. Locate the t-score (1.740) in this row. If the exact value is not available, choose the closest value.
4. Look at the column header for this t-score, which will provide you with the one-tailed probability.
5. Since we need the probability for the t-score being greater than 1.740, subtract this one-tailed probability from 1.
Now using a t-distribution table, the closest t-score to 1.740 with 17 d.o.f. is 1.740 itself, which corresponds to a one-tailed probability of 0.05. Hence, the probability of a t-score greater than 1.740 is:
\(1 - 0.05 = 0.95\)
02
(a) Result
:
The probability of a t-score greater than 1.740 with 17 degrees of freedom is 0.95.
03
(b) Finding probability for t-score less than -1.323 with d.o.f. = 21
:
1. First, identify the degrees of freedom (d.o.f.), which is 21 in this case.
2. Using a t-distribution table, look for the row corresponding to the given d.o.f.
3. Locate the t-score (1.323) in this row. Note: we will be using the positive value of -1.323 as the t-distribution table has only positive t-scores, which doesn't affect our results because t-distribution is symmetric.
4. If the exact value is not available, choose the closest value.
5. Look at the column header for this t-score, which will provide you with the one-tailed probability.
6. Since we need the probability for the t-score being less than -1.323, the one-tailed probability is the value we need.
From the t-distribution table, the closest t-score to 1.323 with 21 d.o.f. is 1.321, which corresponds to a one-tailed probability of 0.10.
04
(b) Result
:
The probability of a t-score less than -1.323 with 21 degrees of freedom is 0.10.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Understanding Degrees of Freedom
When dealing with t-distributions, a critical concept to understand is "degrees of freedom" (d.o.f.). In essence, degrees of freedom refer to the number of independent values or quantities which can vary in a statistical calculation.
Degrees of freedom impact the shape of the t-distribution:
Degrees of freedom impact the shape of the t-distribution:
- More degrees of freedom make the t-distribution closer to a normal distribution.
- Fewer degrees of freedom result in a distribution with fatter tails, indicating more variability.
Calculating the t-score
A t-score is a standardized value that indicates how far a specific value deviates from the mean in terms of the standard error. It is used to determine the position of a sample mean in a t-distribution. The formula for a t-score generally looks like this:
\[ t = \frac{\bar{x} - \mu}{s / \sqrt{n}} \]
Where:
\[ t = \frac{\bar{x} - \mu}{s / \sqrt{n}} \]
Where:
- \( \bar{x} \) is the sample mean.
- \( \mu \) is the population mean.
- \( s \) is the sample standard deviation.
- \( n \) is the sample size.
Probability Calculation in t-Distribution
Finding probability in a t-distribution involves using tables or technology to determine the likelihood of obtaining a t-score more extreme than your observed value. Let's break down the steps through examples from the exercise:
- Identify your degrees of freedom, as it determines the row in your t-distribution table. For instance, 17 and 21 are used in our exercise.
- Compare your t-score against the value in the table. If needed, find the closest t-score available in the table for each of the degrees of freedom.
- Look at the associated probability in the table. This probability represents the t-score's extremeness (either greater or less depending on the direction you are checking).
- For a score greater than 1.740, with a 17 d.o.f, the probability suggests the likelihood is 0.05, so we subtract from 1, yielding 0.95.
- For a score less than -1.323, with a 21 d.o.f, the probability is found as 0.10 directly from the table.