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Tests for the difference between two Normal meansEdexcel A-Level Further Maths: Mind map

What this mind map covers

  • Distribution
  • Test statistic
  • Hypotheses
  • Decision
  • Unknown variances

Exam questions on Tests for the difference between two Normal means

  1. Independent random samples are taken from two Normal populations. Sample XX: nx=20n_x=20, xˉ=52.8\bar x=52.8, population variance σx2=9\sigma_x^2=9. Sample YY: ny=30n_y=30, yˉ=51.2\bar y=51.2, population variance σy2=16\sigma_y^2=16. Both variances are known.
    Test, at the 5%5\% significance level, whether the mean of XX is greater than the mean of YY. State your conclusion in context.2 marks
  2. Reaction times, in milliseconds, are measured for two independent groups, AA and BB. Each reaction time is Normally distributed with standard deviation 4040. Group AA has 3636 people with mean time 312312. Group BB has 4949 people with mean time 298298. A researcher tests whether the mean reaction times of the two populations differ, at the 5%5\% level.
    State the conclusion of the test, with a reason, in context.2 marks
  3. Two classes take the same task. The times, in minutes, are not assumed to be Normal and the population variances are unknown. Class 11: n1=60n_1=60, xˉ1=24.6\bar x_1=24.6, s12=18.4s_1^2=18.4. Class 22: n2=75n_2=75, xˉ2=23.1\bar x_2=23.1, s22=22.5s_2^2=22.5. The teacher tests whether the population mean times differ.
    Calculate the value of the test statistic for H0:μ1=μ2H_0:\mu_1=\mu_2.3 marks
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Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).