To determine whether we can conclude that the population mean is greater than some value, we should perform a hypothesis test. Here are the general steps and details based on the information you provided:
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Define the null and alternative hypotheses:
- Null hypothesis (\(H_0\)): The population mean (\(\mu\)) is less than or equal to a specified value (let's denote it as \( \mu_0 \)).
- Alternative hypothesis (\(H_a\)): The population mean (\(\mu\)) is greater than \( \mu_0 \).
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Significance level: Assuming a common significance level (for example, \(\alpha = 0.05\)) for your test.
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Calculate the test statistic:
- Because the population standard deviation (\(\sigma = 3.72\)) is known and the sample size (\(n = 33\)) is greater than 30, you can use the Z-test for the hypothesis testing.
- The Z statistic is calculated as: \[ Z = \frac{\bar{x} - \mu_0}{\sigma / \sqrt{n}} \] where:
- \(\bar{x}\) is the sample mean,
- \(\sigma\) is the population standard deviation,
- \(n\) is the sample size.
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Determine the critical value:
- Look up the Z-table for the critical value that corresponds to your significance level (\(\alpha\)). For \(\alpha = 0.05\), the critical value for a one-tailed test is approximately 1.645.
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Decision rule:
- If the calculated Z statistic is greater than the critical value (1.645 for \(\alpha = 0.05\)), you reject the null hypothesis. Otherwise, you fail to reject the null hypothesis.
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Conclusion:
- If you reject the null hypothesis, you conclude that there is sufficient evidence to claim that the population mean is greater than \( \mu_0 \).
- If you fail to reject the null hypothesis, you conclude that there is not enough evidence to claim that the population mean is greater than \( \mu_0 \).
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Fill in the blanks:
- The population standard deviation: 3.72 (known).
- The sample size: 33 (greater than 30).
- The correct decision is to either: reject the null hypothesis or fail to reject the null hypothesis, depending on your calculations.
To complete the analysis, you would need the specific value of the sample mean (\(\bar{x}\)) and the value you are testing against (\( \mu_0 \)).