Scribd
Upload
31 views

Statistics in Biology

A t-test is used to test hypotheses about population means. There are one-sample and two-sample t-tests. A chi-square test is used to test hypotheses when the sampling distribution approximates a chi-square distribution. One example is a chi-square test of variance in a normal population where the test statistic is the sum of squares divided by the nominal variance value. Error bars on graphs indicate measurement uncertainty, often showing one standard deviation. They allow visual comparison of quantities to assess statistical significance of differences.

Uploaded by

Nana_Banana_94
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
31 views

Statistics in Biology

A t-test is used to test hypotheses about population means. There are one-sample and two-sample t-tests. A chi-square test is used to test hypotheses when the sampling distribution approximates a chi-square distribution. One example is a chi-square test of variance in a normal population where the test statistic is the sum of squares divided by the nominal variance value. Error bars on graphs indicate measurement uncertainty, often showing one standard deviation. They allow visual comparison of quantities to assess statistical significance of differences.

Uploaded by

Nana_Banana_94
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Statistics in Biology

Student's t-test
A t-test is any statistical hypothesis test in which the test statistic follows
.a Student's t distribution if the null hypothesis is true

Uses
Among the most frequently used t-tests are:

 A one-sample location test of whether the mean of a normally distributed population


has a value specified in a null hypothesis.

 A two sample location test of the null hypothesis that the means of two normally


distributed populations are equal. All such tests are usually called Student's t-tests,
though strictly speaking that name should only be used if the variances of the two
populations are also assumed to be equal

Chi-square test
A chi-square test (also chi-squared or χ2  test) is any statistical hypothesis test in which
the sampling distribution of the test statistic is a chi-square distribution when the null
hypothesis is true, or any in which this is asymptotically true, meaning that the sampling
distribution (if the null hypothesis is true) can be made to approximate a chi-square
distribution as closely as desired by making the sample size large enough

chi-square test for variance in a normal population


If a sample of size n is taken from a population having a normal distribution, then there is a
well-known result (see distribution of the sample variance) which allows a test to be made of
whether the variance of the population has a pre-determined value. For example, a
manufacturing process might have been in stable condition for a long period, allowing a
value for the variance to be determined essentially without error. Suppose that a variant of
the process is being tested, giving rise to a small sample of product items whose variation is
to be tested. The test statistic T in this instance could be set to be the sum of squares about
the sample mean, divided by the nominal value for the variance (ie. the value to be tested as
holding). Then T has a chi-square distribution with n–1 degrees of freedom. For example if
the sample size is 21, the acceptance region for T for a significance level of 5% is the
interval 9.59 to 34.17.
Error bar
Error bars are used on graphs to indicate the error, or uncertainty in a reported
measurement. They give a general idea of how accurate a measurement is, or conversely,
how far from the reported value the true (error free) value might be. Error bars often indicate
one standard deviation of uncertainty, but may also indicate the standard error. These
quantities are not the same and so the measure selected should be stated explicitly in the
graph or supporting text.
Error bars can be used to visually compare two quantities, assuming various other conditions
hold, to determine whether differences are statistically significant. They can also show how
good a statistical fit the data has to a given function. Scientific papers in the experimental
sciences are expected to include error bars on all graphs, though the practice differs
somewhat between sciences, and each journal will have its own house style.

You might also like