High School

Express the null and alternative hypotheses in symbolic form for the claim:

The mean weight of female nurses working at a local hospital is more than 151 lbs.

- Null Hypothesis ([tex]H_0[/tex]): [tex]\mu \leq 151[/tex]
- Alternative Hypothesis ([tex]H_a[/tex]): [tex]\mu > 151[/tex]

Answer :

The null hypothesis (H0) for the claim is that the mean weight of female nurses is less than or equal to 151 lbs (\

To express the null and alternative hypotheses in symbolic form for the claim that the mean weight of female nurses working at a local hospital is more than 151 lbs, we would use the following notation:

  • H0: \\(\mu \\leq 151\\) - This is the null hypothesis, stating that the mean weight of female nurses is less than or equal to 151 pounds.
  • Ha: \\(\mu > 151\\) - This is the alternative hypothesis, which claims that the mean weight of female nurses is greater than 151 pounds.

The decision-making process involves comparing the p-value to the significance level (alpha). If the p-value is less than the significance level, we reject the null hypothesis. If the p-value is greater, we do not reject the null hypothesis.

In the example given:

  • Significance level (alpha): 0.05
  • Decision: Reject the null hypothesis.
  • Reason for decision: The p-value is less than 0.05.
  • Conclusion: At the 5 percent significance level, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that the mean weight exceeds the stated value.

In hypothesis testing, if we make a decision to reject a true null hypothesis, we have made what is known as a Type I error.