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Statistical hypothesis test

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Revision as of 09:12, 24 April 2009 by Peterdownunder (talk | changes) (fixed link)

A statistical hypothesis test is a statistical method used to answer a question based on some data. The question is known as the hypothesis.

A statistical test calculates a statistic (a number) to summarize what the data say about the hypothesis. Its value is compared to a critical value which assumes the hypothesis is true. Values more extreme than the critical value are taken to be evidence that the hypothesis is false.