STATISTICAL INFERENCES FOR

MEANS AND VARIANCES

Tests on Means with Variance Known

Hypothesis

H0: = 0
H1: 0
H0: = 0
H1: < 0
H0: = 0
H1: > 0

Test Statistic

Criteria for
Rejection

|Z0| > Z/2

y 0
Z0 =
n

Z0 < -Z
Z0 > Z

Example
A vendor submits lots of fabric to a textile
manufacturer. The manufacturer wants to know if
the lot average breaking strength exceeds 200 psi. if
so, she wants to accept the lot. Past experience
indicates that a reasonable value for the variance of
breaking strength is 100 (psi)2. The hypotheses to
be tested are
H0: = 200
H1: > 200
Four specimens are randomly selected, and the
average breaking strength observed is 214 psi.

Example 20.1
An assembly process has a standard time of 0.52 min. A
trainee assembled 75 items with an average time of 0.49
min and a computed standard deviation of 0.15 min.
a. What test is appropriate to determine if the average
times are equal?
b. Perform the tests for the two cases below.

H0: = 0 versus H1: 0

H0: = 0 versus H1: < 0

c. Determine the required n value to ensure that =

0.20 for the one-sided test. What is for the onesided test above?

Tests on Means with Variance Known

Hypothesis

H0: 1 = 2
H1: 1 2
H0: 1 = 2
H1: 1 < 2
H0: 1 = 2
H1: 1 > 2

Criteria for
Rejection

Test Statistic

Z0 =

|Z0| > Z/2

y1 y2

2
1

n1

2
2

n2

Z0 < -Z
Z0 > Z

Example 20.3
Two quality control engineers want to compare the
average strength of a plastic made by similar processes
at two plants. The processes are well established, and
the values are known. The data is:
Process

1
2

9
16

Are the means equal?

(lb/in2)
39
35

(lb/in2)
3
5

Tests on Means of Normal

Distributions with Variance Unknown
Hypothesis

H0: = 0
H1: 0
H0: = 0
H1: < 0
H0: = 0
H1: > 0

Test Statistic

Criteria for
Rejection

|t0| > t/2, n-1

y 0
t0 =
S n

t0 < -t, n-1

t0 > t, n-1

Example 19.3
A meteorologist is studying the annual rainfall in
a desert region. With all available records the
average has been 7.8 cm/yr. For the past 5 yr
rainfall has been 8.0, 6.2, 4.1, 6.9, and 5.6 cm/yr.
The meteorologist wants to know if the
decrease is statistically significant.

Tests on Means with Variance

Unknown
Hypothesis

H0: 1 = 2
H1: 1 2

Criteria for
Rejection

Test Statistic
t0 =

y1 y2
1 1
+
Sp
n1 n2

|t0| > t/2,

= n1 + n2 2

H0: 1 = 2
H1: 1 < 2

t0 =

H0: 1 = 2
H1: 1 > 2

S12 S 22
+
n1 n2

= 2
2
2
S1 n1
S 22 n2
+
n1 1
n2 1

y1 y2
S12 S 22
+
n1 n2

t0 < -t,
2

) (

t0 > t,

Tests on Variance of Normal

Distribution
Hypothesis

Test Statistic

H0: 12 = 22
H1: 12 22
H0: 12 = 22
H1: 12 < 22
H0: 12 = 22
H1: 12 > 22

Criteria for Rejection

F0 > F

2 , n1 1, n 2 1

F0 < F1
S12
F0 = 2
S2

or

2, n1 1, n2 1

F0 > F ,n2 1,n1 1

F0 > F ,n1 1,n2 1

Example
The tension bond strength of portland cement mortar
is an important characteristic of the product. An
engineer is interested in comparing the strength of a
modified formulation in which polymer latex emulsions
have been added during mixing to the strength of the
unmodified mortar.
Modified Mortar
y1 = 16.76 kgf/cm2
S12 = 0.100
n1 = 10

Unmodified Mortar
y2 = 17.92 kgf/cm2
S22 = 0.061
n2 = 10

Comparing a single variance to a specified

value???
Use chi-square distribution

Paired Comparison
t0 =

d
Sd

1 n
d = di
n i =1
d i = y1i y2i

Example
Consider a hardness testing machine that
presses a rod with a pointed tip into a metal
specimen with a known force. By measuring the
depth of the depression caused by tip, the
hardness of the specimen is determined. Two
different tips are available for this machine, and
although the precision of the measurements
made by the two tips seems to be the same, it is
suspected that one tip produces different
readings than the other.

Example
Specimen
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Tip 1
7
3
3
4
8
3
2
9
5
4

Tip 2
6
3
5
3
8
2
4
9
4
5