Mathematics

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

LESSON 13.2
Forms of Test Statistic for the Population Mean
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Test Your Prerequisite Skills 2

DepEd Competency 2

Objectives 2

Warm-Up! 3

Learn about It! 3

When to Use 𝐳-test? 4

When to Use 𝐭-test? 5

Let’s Practice 6

Check Your Understanding 10

Key Points 11

Bibliography 11
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Lesson 13.2
Forms of Test Statistic for the
Population Mean

Fig. 1. Data in a Spreadsheet

Introduction
In the previous lessons, you have learned that the sample size in your research affects your
statistical tool. How should you treat a set of data with a large sample size? How about a
research study with a small sample size? There are several statistical tools and tests that you
can use depending on the sample size that you have.

In this lesson, you will learn about the different forms of test statistic for the population mean.

1
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Test Your Prerequisite Skills

Before you get started, answer the following items on a separate sheet of paper. This will help
you assess your prior knowledge and practice some skills that you will need in studying this
lesson. Show your complete solution.

1. Determine the null and alternative hypotheses for the following situations.
a. The mean test score of Section 1 is 50. You want to verify this by checking the
actual scores of each student in Section 1.
b. The gas prices nowadays are greater than ₱75. You want to verify if the claim is
correct.

DepEd Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to identify the appropriate form of
the test-statistic when: (a) the population variance is assumed to be known, (b)
the population variance is assumed to be unknown, and (c) the Central Limit
Theorem is to be used (M11/12SP-IVb-2).

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Correctly determine the appropriate form of test statistic to be used in

hypothesis testing.

● Correctly use the Central Limit Theorem to determine the appropriate

form of test statistic in hypothesis testing when the population
distribution is unknown or not normal.

2
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Warm-Up!

Practicality vs. Accuracy

Materials
● pen
● paper

Instructions
1. The entire class will do this activity.
2. Divide the class into two groups that will take opposing stances.
3. One of the groups will justify the reasons for taking small samples in the statistical
test, while the other group will defend the reasons for getting large samples.
4. The debate will last for eight minutes.

Learn about It!

The previous lesson introduced test statistic as one of the five parts of statistical testing. The
test statistic mainly depends on the size of the samples. In Warm Up!, you have justified the
main reasons for taking small or large samples. Both stances are valid and considered during
statistical testing; that is why we have two statistical tools or test statistics, 𝑧-test, and 𝑡-test,
which can be used to compare or study two groups of data through the value of their sample
means 𝑥̅ .

3
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Essential Question
How will you relate the 𝑧-statistic and 𝑡-statistic?

In hypothesis testing, we want to determine whether 𝐻𝑜 is true or false by using the sample
mean, the population mean, and population or sample standard deviation. This would mean,
in most cases, that when 𝑥̅ is too large, there is a high probability that the population mean is
greater than hypothesized. We can quantify "too large" as too many standard deviations away
from the mean. Hence, we can measure the number of standard deviations of a particular
mean by using the 𝑧-test or 𝑡-test, which are both measures having units of standard
deviation.

In general, the type of test statistic to use can be determined by the size of the samples and
the distribution type of the parent population of the samples. In detail, below are the
conditions as to when the 𝑧-test and 𝑡-test are appropriate.

When to Use 𝒛-test?

• The 𝑧-test is used for a large-sample statistical test where the parent population
follows a normal distribution or is approximately normally distributed, and the
population variance is known.

• If the parent population is not normally distributed, but the sample size is large
(𝑛 ≥ 30), we can apply the Central Limit Theorem, which states that if a sample has a
size 𝑛 ≥ 30, the sampling distribution of the sample mean is now approximately
normally distributed with standard deviation 𝜎/√𝑛.

4
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

• If the population variance or population standard deviation is unknown, but the

sample size is greater than or equal to 30, we can still use the 𝑧-test, but we will use
the sample standard deviation as an estimator of the population standard deviation.

• Along with the information already stated above, to use a 𝑧-test, we need to identify
the population mean, population or sample standard deviation, sample mean, and
sample size.

When to Use 𝒕-test?

• The 𝑡-test is typically used for a small-sample statistical test where the parent
population must be normally distributed or nearly normally distributed.
Conservatively, we quantify "small" as having 𝑛 < 30. Also, the samples must have
been randomly selected.

• The 𝑡-test is only used when the population variance is unknown.

• We cannot use 𝑡-test when the parent population of a small-sample statistical test is
not normally distributed because we cannot apply the Central Limit Theorem.

Along with the information already stated above, to use a 𝑡-test, we need to identify the
population mean, sample standard deviation, sample mean, and sample size.

Essential Questions
How does sample size affect the shape of a 𝑡-distribution?

5
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Let’s Practice
Example 1
The school doctor said that the mean height of grade 12 boys is greater than 147 cm. However,
this claim was suspected to be inaccurate. A random sample of 50 grade 12 boys was selected,
and it was found that their average height was 150 cm, with a standard deviation of 15 cm.
What test statistic is appropriate to use in this example?

Solution
Since the sample size is 50, which is large enough to use Central Limit Theorem, and because
the population standard deviation is unknown. The appropriate form of test statistic is the
𝒛-test.

Try It Yourself!
What test statistic will you use if the sample size is 100 and the population mean and
population standard deviation are available?

Example 2
The president of a company claims that the scent of their car air freshener product lasts more
than 30 days. The manager of the company suspected the claim and conducted a study on a
random sample of 20 air fresheners. It was found that the air fresheners had a mean lifespan
of only 20 days, with a standard deviation of two days. Assuming that the data are normally
distributed, what is the appropriate form of test statistic, and what are the pertinent
measures for the test statistic?

6
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Solution
The sample size is less than 30, and the population standard deviation is unknown. Thus, the
appropriate test statistic to use is the 𝒕-test.

For the 𝑡-test, we need the sample mean, sample standard deviation, sample size, and
population mean. Hence, the following are the pertinent measures needed for the test
statistic:
̅ = 𝟐𝟎
𝒙
𝒏 = 𝟐𝟎
𝒔=𝟐
𝝁 = 𝟑𝟎

Try It Yourself!
A perfume stall owner claims that the scent of their products lasts for 24 hours. To test this
claim, you bought five of their products and sprayed each on five clothing. You then check
and found that the average number of hours the scent lasts is 21 hours with a standard
deviation of four hours. What is the appropriate test statistic to use, and what are the
measures you need for the test statistic?

Example 3
Reports say that the mean age of all the adults in a compound is 34 years old, with a variance
of nine years. An investigator wants to confirm the correctness of this information by
randomly selecting 40 adults. The investigator found that the average age of the samples is
30 years. What should be the hypotheses of the investigator, the appropriate test statistic to
use, and the pertinent measures needed?

7
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Solution
The null hypothesis should state that there is no significant difference between the sample
mean and the population mean. Hence, 𝐻0 is 𝜇 = 34. Consequently, 𝐻𝑎 is 𝜇 ≠ 34.

Because the hypothesis testing is a large-sample test, and the population variance is known,
it is appropriate to use the 𝒛-test.

To use the 𝑧-test, we need the population mean, population standard deviation, sample
mean, and sample size. Hence, the following are the measures we need for the 𝑧-test:

𝝁 = 𝟑𝟒
𝒔 = √𝟗 = 𝟑
̅ = 𝟑𝟎
𝒙
𝒏 = 𝟒𝟎

Try It Yourself!
Past records indicate that the mean number of hours that an average student uses his/her
personal computer is at most five hours per day. You have a suspicion that the students
exceed this measure. To test your hypothesis, you asked 20 students and found that their
average number of hours spent on their personal computer is 5.5 hours, with a standard
deviation of 0.2 hours. What should be the hypotheses of the investigator, the appropriate
test statistic to use, and the pertinent measures needed?

8
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Real-world Problems
Example 4
An education researcher experimented with an innovative
teaching approach. He randomly selected 20 grade 12
students to participate in the intervention. After the two-
week intervention, the researcher administered a posttest
to the students. The researcher knows that the average
score of students in traditional classroom settings on the
same posttest he administered to the intervention group is
20. In contrast, the average score of the intervention group is 23, with a variance of 10. What
test statistic should the researcher use if he wants to determine if the intervention has
significant effects on students' test performance? What are the parameters needed to use the
appropriate test statistic?

Solution
The number of samples is 20, and the population standard deviation is unknown. Hence, the
researcher should use a 𝒕-test. In connection to this, he needs the sample mean, the
population mean, the sample size, and the sample standard deviation to use the 𝑡-test test
statistic.

Specifically, the following should be used for the 𝑡-test:

𝝁 = 𝟐𝟎
̅ = 𝟐𝟑
𝒙
𝒔 = √𝟏𝟎 ≈ 𝟑. 𝟏𝟔
𝒏 = 𝟐𝟎

9
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Try It Yourself!
Suppose a Shelter for Dogs society reported that an average
of 40 stray dogs had been rescued daily in the past five
years. To determine if the same number of stray dogs are
rescued every day, you looked at the record for the last two
weeks and found that the average number of dogs rescued
daily is 35, with a standard deviation of two. What test
statistic should you use in this study? What are the
parameters needed to use the appropriate test statistic?

Check Your Understanding

A. Determine whether each statement is true or false.

1. The 𝑧-test is used for samples whose size is equal to or greater than 30, regardless
of the type of distribution it has.
2. The 𝑡-test is used for samples whose size is less than 30, regardless of the type of
distribution it has.
3. The null hypothesis affects the form of test statistic that should be used.
4. The Central Limit Theorem can be applied for samples whose size is 20.
5. The 𝑧-test and 𝑡-test can be used interchangeably without affecting the validity of
the results.

B. For each given situation below, determine the set of hypotheses and the appropriate
test statistic to use.
1. Assuming that the time spent in a fitness gym is normally distributed, the owner
claims that the members use the gym for at least an hour. To test this claim, you

10
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

polled 20 members to determine how long they worked out in the gym, as
mentioned above.
2. Statistical reports indicate that an average person spends ₱3 000 on apparel per
month. To determine if this is correct, a pollster asked 50 persons and found that
the average amount they spent on apparel monthly was ₱2 500.

Key Points

• A test statistic is a random variable that is used in a hypothesis test.

• A 𝒛-statistic is the test statistic used in a hypothesis test for the population mean when
the population standard deviation is known and (a) the population is normal or (b) the
sample size is sufficiently large, usually greater than or equal to 30. Due to the Central
Limit Theorem, we can still use the 𝑧-statistic even when the population distribution is
unknown or not normal.
• A 𝒕-statistic is the test statistic used in a hypothesis test for the population mean when
the population standard deviation is unknown and when the sample size is small,
usually less than 30.

Bibliography
Sullivan, Michael III. Fundamentals of Statistics Fourth Edition: Informed Decisions Using Data.
New York: Pearson Education Inc., 2014.

11
 Mathematics
●

Grade 11 • Unit 13: Test Statistic and Rejection Region for the Population Mean

Surbhi S. “Difference Between T-test and Z-test.” Key Differences. Accessed August 25, 2019.
https://bit.ly/2Rb19s4.

12