One Sample t-test

Shair Muhammad Hazara

MSPH, MSBE, BSN, Ped. N
E-mail address: hazara_27@hotmail.com
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 Objectives
By the end of this session, the learners would be able to:
Describe the elements of hypothesis testing for testing a
population mean (for large sample):
• Identify appropriate null and alternative hypotheses
• Select a level of significance
• Compute the value of test statistic
• Locate a critical or rejection region
• Interpret the appropriate conclusion
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 Z-Test formula
Information Needed for Z-test:
1. Population Mean (μ)
2. Population Standard Deviation (s)
3. Sample Mean
4. Sample n

Sample N & Population Standard deviation are used to

compute Standard Error of the Mean (sX)
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 Formula for Z-Test

X μ
z
σX

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 Z-Test formula

• µ and s are specified by H0 , but we only test the

population parameter m

• s is assumed to be known, but, in practice, s is not

always known.

• What do I do if s is unknown or not given?

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 t-test formula

One Sample t-test:

Same assumptions as the z-test, but:
1. The population standard deviation is not known
2. The standard error of X is estimated from the
sample not the population standard deviation

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 Basic Elements of Testing Hypothesis
1. Null Hypothesis
2. Alternative Hypothesis (Researcher Hypothesis)
3. Choice of appropriate level of significance ()
4. Assumptions
5. Test Statistic (Formula): Application of sample results in the
formula to calculate the value of test statistic use for decision
purpose.
6. Rejection Region (Critical Region): Based on alternative hypothesis
and level of significance () and degrees of freedom (df).
7. Conclusion: If the calculated value of the test statistic falls in the
rejection region, reject H0 in favor of Ha, otherwise fail to reject H0 7
 t-test Formula - I

s
sX  Standard Error of X is
estimated from the sample.
n

Standard Error of X is calculated using the sample standard deviation.

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 t-test Formula - II

X  X 
t 
sX s
n

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 t-test formula

• t-test is used to test hypothesis about μ when the

value for s is unknown
• The formula for the t statistic is similar in structure
to the z-score, except that t statistic uses estimated
standard error from the sample, not population
standard error

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 Degrees of Freedom - I

How well does s approximate s?

• Depends….

Degrees of Freedom (df) = n-1

• Measures the number of scores that are free to vary when
computing SS for sample data.
• The value of df also describers how well a t statistic
estimates a z-score.

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 Degrees of Freedom - II

• The higher the df, better s approximate s.

• The t distribution changes w/ df.

• With lower df (i.e., lower n), t distribution is flatter than z

distribution.

• By n = 120, t distribution = z distribution. (n = 30 is a rule

of thumb.)
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 t-statistic testing

• Based on the Degrees of Freedom (df) the critical value

necessary to reject the null hypothesis changes.

• In a t-test, the same t value may correspond to different

significance levels (i.e., critical region cut-offs) based on the
degrees of freedom.

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 Critical Values t-test
The t Distribution
df=2, t = 4.303, =.05 (two-tailed)
df=25, t = 2.060, =.05 (two-tailed)
df=8, t = 1.860, =.05 (one-tailed)

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 When to use t-test?
Use t-test when:
1. If you don’t know the parameter value of , use t-test

Use a Z-test when:

1. If you know the parameter value of , use z-test

When sample size is large (n > 120), then the z-test and t-test
provide the exact same value and conclusion

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 Example
- A researcher believes that children in poverty-stricken
regions are undernourished and underweight. The
population for the weight of 6-year olds is normally
distributed with µ = 20.9 kg. The researcher collects a
sample of 9 children, with a sample mean of 17.3 kg and
σ = 2.51 kg
Using a one-tailed test and a 0.01 level of significance,
determine if this sample is significantly different from
what would be expected for the population of 6-year olds.

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 X   X   17.3  20.9
t    4.303
sX s 2.51
n 9

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 Example
Many doctors recommend having a total cholesterol level below 200
mg/dl. We will test to see if the 1952 population from which the Dixon
and Massey sample was gathered is statistically different, on average,
from this recommended level.
Our sample of n = 20 has = 311.15 and s = 64.3929.
1. Hypothesis Statement. H0: μ = 200 vs. H1: μ ≠ 200
2. Level of Significance α=0.05, df n-1 = 19, so reject H0 if |t| > 2.093
3. Test Statistics

4. Critical Region. tcal 7.72 > ttab 2.093. It falls in Critical Region, We reject H0
5. Result Statement: We conclude that tcal = 7.72, reject the H0 that mean
cholesterol level is different from 200 mg/dl.
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 Example
For example, imagine a company wants to test the claim that their batteries last
more than 40 hours. Using a simple random sample of 15 batteries yielded a mean of
44.9 hours, with a standard deviation of 8.9 hours. Test this claim using a significance
level of 0.05.

df 0.05, 14 = 1.761

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