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2
Y 1 Y 2 t(1 /2; df ) s
n }
{
Where n is the sample size for each group, and df = n + n - 2 = 2(n - 1) and s is the pooled
standard deviation. Therefore, we first specify B and then solve this equation:
2
B = t(1 /2; df ) s
n
for n. Therefore,
2
t 2 (1 /2; df ) s 2 2
2
n = t(1 /2; df ) s
=
B ]
B2
[
[
]
Since in practice, we don't know what s will be, prior to collecting the data, we will need a
guesstimate of to substitute into this equation. To do this by hand and we use z rather than
t since we don't know the df if we don't know the sample size n - the computer will iteratively
update the d.f. as it computes the sample size, giving a slightly larger sample size when n is
small.
So we need to have an estimate of 2, a desired margin of error bound B, that we want to
detect, and a confidence level 1-. With this we can determine sample size in this
comparative type of experiment. We may or may not have direct control over 2, but by using
different experimental designs we do have some control over this and we will address this
later in this course. In most cases an estimate of 2 is needed in order to determine the
sample size.
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One special extension of this method is when we have a binomial situation. In this
case where we are estimating proportions rather than some quantitative mean
level, we know that the worst-case variance, p(1-p), is where p (the true
proportion) is equal to 0.5 and then we would have an approximate sample size
formula that is simpler, namely n = 2/B2 for = 0.05.
[1]
By viewing the output, we see that the different patients' blood pressures seem to vary a lot
(standard deviation about 12) but the treatment seems to make a small but consistent
difference with each subject. Clearly we have a nuisance factor involved - the subject - which
is causing much of this variation. This is a stereotypical situation where because the
observations are correlated and paired and we should do a paired t-test.
These results show that by using a paired design and taking into account the pairing of the
data we have reduced the variance. Hence our test gives a more powerful conclusion
regarding the significance of the difference in means.
The paired t-test is our first example of a blocking design. In this context the subject is used
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as a block, and the results from the paired t-test are identical to what we will find when we
analyze this as a Randomize Complete Block Design from lesson 4.
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