/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Problem 4 Electricity prices According to ... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91Ó°ÊÓ

91Ó°ÊÓ

Electricity prices According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average monthly household electricity bill in 2014 was \(\$ 114\) before taxes and fees. A consumer association plans to investigate if the average amount has changed this year. Define the population parameter of interest and state the null and alternative hypotheses for this investigation.

Short Answer

Expert verified
\( H_0: \mu = 114 \), \( H_a: \mu \neq 114 \)

Step by step solution

01

Step 1

Identify the population parameter of interest. In this case, we are looking at the average monthly household electricity bill.
02

Step 2

Define the population parameter. Let \( \mu \) represent the average monthly household electricity bill for the current year.
03

Step 3

State the null hypothesis. The null hypothesis \( H_0 \) is that the average monthly household electricity bill has not changed since 2014, so \( H_0: \mu = 114 \).
04

Step 4

State the alternative hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis \( H_a \) is that the average monthly household electricity bill has changed, so \( H_a: \mu eq 114 \).

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91Ó°ÊÓ!

Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Population Parameter
When conducting hypothesis testing, it is crucial to identify the population parameter you are interested in. A population parameter is essentially a numerical value that captures certain characteristics of a population. In the context of our exercise about electricity prices, the population parameter is the average monthly household electricity bill for this year.

The symbol commonly used for a population parameter related to an average is \( \mu \). In this case, \( \mu \) represents the average monthly household electricity bill for the current year. Understanding this allows us to frame what exactly we are testing, providing a baseline to compare our hypothesized estimates against the known value from previous years.
Null Hypothesis
The null hypothesis is a fundamental part of hypothesis testing and acts as the default or original claim. It presumes that there is no change or effect until proven otherwise. In hypothesis testing, we set up the null hypothesis to test if any observed effects in the data are due to chance.

For the problem of evaluating changes in electricity bills, the null hypothesis is stated as \( H_0: \mu = 114 \), which indicates that the average monthly bill for this year is the same as it was in 2014. The null hypothesis is what you aim to test against, and initially, is presumed true until there is significant evidence to suggest otherwise.
Alternative Hypothesis
The alternative hypothesis is what you consider if the null hypothesis is rejected. It suggests that there is a different outcome or effect than originally assumed.

In our exercise, the alternative hypothesis is explained as \( H_a: \mu eq 114 \). This suggests that the average monthly household electricity bill has indeed changed from the 2014 figure of $114. Unlike the null hypothesis which assumes no change, the alternative hypothesis opens the possibility of change solely as a result of the evidence provided by the data. It represents the researcher's initial suspicion or what they are trying to prove.

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A fast-food chain wants to compare two ways of promoting a new burger (a turkey burger). One way uses a coupon available in the store. The other way uses a poster display outside the store. Before the promotion, its marketing research group matches 50 pairs of stores. Each pair has two stores with similar sales volume and customer demographics. The store in a pair that uses coupons is randomly chosen, and after a month-long promotion, the increases in sales of the turkey burger are compared for the two stores. The increase was higher for 28 stores using coupons and higher for 22 stores using the poster. Is this strong evidence to support the coupon approach, or could this outcome be explained by chance? Answer by performing all five steps of a two-sided significance test about the population proportion of times the sales would be higher with the coupon promotion.

In 2004 , New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company, claiming that the company failed to publish results of one of its studies that showed that an antidepressant drug (Paxil) may make adolescents more likely to commit suicide. Partly as a consequence, editors of 11 medical journals agreed to a new policy to make researchers and companies register all clinical trials when they begin, so that negative results cannot later be covered up. The International Journal of Medical Journal Editors wrote, "Unfortunately, selective reporting of trials does occur, and it distorts the body of evidence available for clinical decision-making." Explain why this controversy relates to the argument that it is misleading to report results only if they are "statistically significant." (Hint: See the subsection of this chapter on misinterpretations of significance tests.)

Burden of proof For a new pesticide, should the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bear the burden of proof to show that it is harmful to the environment, or should the producer of the pesticide have to show that it is not harmful to the environment? The pesticide is considered harmful if its toxicity level exceeds a certain threshold and not harmful if its toxicity level is below the threshold. Consider the statements, "The mean toxicity level equals the threshold," "The mean toxicity level exceeds the threshold," and "The mean toxicity level is below the threshold." a. Which of these statements should be the null and which the alternative hypothesis when the burden of proof is on the EPA to show that the new pesticide is harmful? b. Which of these statements should be the null and which the alternative hypothesis when the burden of proof is on the producer to show that the new pesticide is not harmful?

A study (J Integr Med. \(2016 ; 14(2): 121-127)\) was conducted between May 2014 and April 2015 to assess the knowledge, attitude, and use of CIH strategies among nurses in Iran. In this study, 157 nurses from two urban hospitals of Zabol University of Medical Sciences in southeast Iran took part and their responses were analyzed. Most nurses \((n=95,60.5 \%)\) had some knowledge about the strategies. However, a majority \((n=90,57.3 \%)\) of the nurses never applied CIH methods. Does this suggest that nurses who never applied CIH methods would constitute a majority of the population, or are the results consistent with random variation? Answer by: a. Identifying the relevant variable and parameter. (Hint: The variable is categorical with two categories. The parameter is a population proportion for one of the categories.) b. Stating hypotheses for a large-sample two-sided test and checking that sample size guidelines are satisfied for that test. c. Finding the test statistic value. d. Finding and interpreting a P-value and stating the conclusion in context.

An ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) is a specially designed brace to support and improve the function of the foot and ankle. A 2016 study on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis investigated the biomechanical effects of the Agilium Freestep AFO on the lever arm of the ground reaction force (GRF) in a gait analysis lab. Results show that the lever arm of the GRF was significantly reduced by \(14 \%\) with the Agilium Freestep AFO (www.oandp.org). Statistical analyses were conducted using the Student's \(t\) -test with a power of \(80 \%\). a. What should be the null and the alternative hypotheses in this study? b. How should the power of \(80 \%\) be interpreted? c. In context, what is a Type II error for this test?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Math Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.