11 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

STATISTICS
and PROBABILITY
Quarter 3 - Module 7
T-Distribution
and Percentiles Using the T-Table

NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2
NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2
Statistics and Probability– Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 7: T-Distribution and Percentiles Using the T-Table
Second Edition, 2021

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NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear
learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home.
Activities, questions, directions, exercises, and discussions are
carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.
Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide
you step-by-step as you discover and understand the lesson
prepared for you.
Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons
in each SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing
this module or if you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s
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learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We
trust that you will be honest in using these.
In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher
are also provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and
reminders on how they can best help you on your home-based
learning.
Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks
on any part of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering
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performing each task.
If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in
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Thank you

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 I

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource while being an
active learner.
The module is intended for you to illustrate the T-distribution table and
identify the percentiles using the t-table.

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PRE-ASSESSMENT
A. Multiple Choice. Direction: Read each item carefully. Write only the letter of the correct
answer in your notebook.
1. The following statements are true about the properties of t-distribution, except
A. The t-distribution is bell shaped. C. The total area under the curve is 100%.
B. It is symmetrical about the mean. D. The curve touches or intersects the x-axis.
2. In the t-distribution, the mean, median and mode are located at the center of the distribution.
A. True B. False C. maybe D. sometimes
3. In the t-distribution, the confidence interval for the Mean when the standard deviation 𝜎 is
unknown and n < 30.
A. True B. False C. cannot be determined D. maybe
4. The t-distribution is a family of curves based on the degrees of freedom, which is a number
related to the sample size.
A. True B. False C. cannot be determined D. maybe
5. Given the t-distribution with 9 degrees of freedom. What is the t-value to the left of the t-
distribution at 0.90 or 90th percentile, +90?
A 3.498 B. 2.8214 C. 2.2622 D. 1.3830
B. Find the t-values of the t distribution with a critical value 𝛼=0.05 given the following
degrees of freedom:
A.16 B. 27 C. 14 D. 25

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 Lesson 1
Illustrating the T-Distribution and
Identifying the Percentiles Using the T-
Table

’s In

In previous lesson, we encountered the use of Central Limit theorem to estimate the
population mean. Theoretically, the population parameters are never known and can only be
discerned through a sample. For instance, it is never possible for anyone to determine the
average height of all male Filipino teenagers from Batanes to Sulu. But if one is asked to find
it out, the best he/she can do is to obtain a sample of some Filipino male teenagers. Then from
the sample, he/she can estimate with a certain degree accuracy what the average height of all
male Filipino male students is. How accurate his or her estimate is can be best computed using
the Central Limit theorem.

To do this is to use the z-table and the area under the standard normal distribution. We
call this interval 95% confidence interval for the true mean. Therefore, when we know the
standard deviation of the population mean, we can compute a z-score.

But sample sizes are sometimes small, and often we don’t know the standard deviation
of the population. When either of these problems occur, statisticians rely on the distribution of
the t -statistic (also known as the t score) whose formula is given as:
Type T-Statistic Degrees of Freedom

One-sample t-test 𝑥̅ − µ0 𝑑𝑓 = 𝑛−1

t= 𝑠
⁄ 𝑛
√

2 NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2
where 𝑥̅ is the sample mean, µ is the population mean, s is the standard deviation of the sample,
and n is the sample size? The distribution of the t statistic is called the t distribution.

Standard Normal Curve

[Link]

’s New

How to Use the t-table

The t-table is a table of t-values of the t-distribution. The entries of the top-
most row are levels of significance denoted by 𝛼 while the entries of the left-most
column are degrees of freedom, denoted by v, (Greek-letter nu) or simply df and
inside the body of the table are the t-values. The student’s t-distribution was
created by William T. Gosset, an Irish Brewery worker.

TRY THIS

Look at the t-value of 𝛼 = 0.01 having 14 degrees of freedom.

Procedure:
Run your finger to the column under 𝛼 = 0.01 until you come across the
row where 14 degrees of freedom is located. The table entry of 2.624 is the t-value
when 𝛼 = 0.01 and df = 14, that is, t(0.01, 14) = 2.624.

Critical Values of the t-Distribution

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4 NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2
 is It

The t-distribution
The t-distribution is a probability distribution that arises when estimating
the mean of a normally distributed population in situations where the sample size
is small, and population standard deviation is unknown.

The concept of the degrees of freedom is used in the t-distribution. The

degrees of freedom, denoted by df, are the numbers of values that are free to vary
after a sample statistic has been computed.

Properties of the t-distribution are as follows:

1. The t-distribution is bell shaped and symmetric about the mean.

2. The t-distribution is a family of curves, each determined by a parameter called

the degrees of freedom. The degrees of freedom are the number of free
choices left after a sample statistic is calculated. When you use a t-distribution
to estimate a population mean, the degrees of freedom are equal to one less
than the sample size, df = n-1.
3. The total area under a t-curve is 1 (or 100%).

4. The mean, median, and mode of the t-distribution are equal to zero.

5. As the degrees of freedom increase, the t-distribution approaches the normal

distribution. After 30 df the t-distribution is very close to the standard normal
z-distribution.

Degrees of Freedom

A degree of freedom occurs for every data value which is allowed to vary
once a statistic has been fixed. For a single mean, there are n – 1 degrees of
freedom. This value will change depending on the statistic being used.

If the population standard deviation, sigma is unknown, then the mean has
a student t distribution and the sample standard deviation and the sample standard
deviation is used instead of the population standard deviation.

What is ta/2, and why must we use it when n < 30 and 𝜎 is unknown?

5 NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2
 When n < 30, the quantity does not have an approximately standard normal
distribution, even though we assume here that the population is normal. Instead, t
has a “Student’s t distribution with n- 1 degrees of freedom”.

There is a different t distribution for each value for the degrees of freedom
(df). These distributions are not normal, although they are symmetrical around
zero, and mound shaped.

The quantity 𝑡𝛼/2 denotes the t-value such that the area to its right under the
Student’s t distribution (with df = n-1) is 𝛼/2.

Example No. 1

1. Find the 𝑡𝛼/2 for a 99% confidence interval when the sample size is 20.

Solution:

𝑑𝑓 = 𝑛 − 1

= 20-1 = 19

Find 19 in the left column and 99% in the row labeled confidence intervals.
The intersection where the two meets gives the value for 𝑡𝛼/2 which is 2.861.

Confidence 0.800 0.900 0.950 0.980 0.990 0.998 0.999

interval
d.f. 0.100 0.050 0.025 0.010 0.005 0.001 0.0005
1
2
3

19 2.861

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How to find the Percentiles of the t-Distribution

When you want to find percentiles for a t-distribution, you can use the t-
table. A percentile is a number on a statistical distribution who is less-than the
probability in the given percentage; for example, the 95 th percentile of the t-
distribution with n – 1 degrees of freedom is that value of whose left-tail (less
than) probability is 0.05.

The t-table shows right-tail probabilities for selected t-distributions. You

can use it to solve the following problems.

Example No. 2

Suppose you have a sample size 10 and you want to find the 95th percentile
of its corresponding t-distribution. You have n – 1 = 9. The 95th percentile is the
number where 95% of the values lie below it and 5% lie above it, so you want the
right-tail area to be 0.05. Move across the row, find the column for 0.05, and you
get 1.8331. This is the 95th percentile of the t-distribution with 9 degrees of
freedom.

Now, if you increase the sample size to n = 20, the value of the 95 th
percentile decreases; look at the row for 20 – 1 =19 degrees of freedom, and in
the column for 0.05 (a right-tail probability of 0.05) you find 1.7291.

’s More

Activity 1. Supply the Missing Piece!

Find the missing value. Use the t-distribution Table.
1. Given: 90𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑒, 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑛 = 10
Find the following:
a) 𝛼
b) t – value
c) df
2. Given: t-value = 2.492
Find the following:
a) sample size n
b) df
c) 𝛼
d) Percentile

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 I Have Learned

Activity 2
A. Find the values for each of the following degree of freedom and t-values with
the given percentile. Write your answer on the space provided.

1. 𝑡𝛼/2 and n = 16 for the 99% confidence interval

df = __________ 𝑡(.005,15) = ________________
2. 𝑡𝛼 and n = 25 for the 98% confidence interval
2
df = __________ 𝑡(.01,24) = ________________
3. 𝑡𝛼/2 and n = 8 for the 95% confidence interval
df = __________ 𝑡(.025,7) = ________________
4. 𝑡𝛼/2 and n = 12 for the 90% confidence interval
df = __________ 𝑡(.05,11) = ________________
5. 𝑡𝛼/2 and n = 20 for the 99% confidence interval
df = __________ 𝑡(.005,19) = ________________

B. Summarize the lesson by completing the sentences below:

1. When asked of an estimation of population mean but population standard
deviation is unknown, the _______________can be used.
2. The t-distribution is similar to the standard normal distribution in the
following ways:

2.1 __________________________________________
2.2 __________________________________________
2.3 __________________________________________
2.4 __________________________________________

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 I Can Do

Activity 3
(NOTE: For Students who can access Microsoft excel)
Use of Microsoft Excel in finding the t-value given degrees of freedom and
level of significance.

A. Finding the t-value given level significance (alpha) and degrees of freedom
v(nu)

(Note: The computer t-value is for two-tailed, thus α must be multiplied by 2.

Example t(0.01,14) = 2.624494

1. Highlight A1;
2. On A1, Type [=TINV(0.01*2,14)];→ 14-degrees of freedom;
3. Press ENTER
4. You will find the value 2.624494 on A1;
5. Good Luck!

I. Multiple Choice:
Direction: Read each item carefully. Write only the letter of the correct
answer on your activity notebook/activity sheets.
Confidence interval 0.800 0.900 0.950 0.980 0.990 0.998 0.999
d.f. 0.100 0.050 0.025 0.010 0.005 0.001 0.0005
1
2
3

19 2.861

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 For numbers 1 to 3, use the t table to answer the questions below.

1. Given 5 degrees of freedom at 5% level of significance, the t-value is equal

to __________.

A. 1.476 C. 2.015
B. 2.571 D. 3.365

2. At 10% level of significance with 10 degrees of freedom, the t-value is

__________.

A. 2.764 B.4.144 C. 1.372 D. 4.587

3. When n = 21 at 𝛼 = 0.005, the t-value is _______.

A. 1.323 B. 2.845 C. 2.831 D. 3.527

4. When the original variable is normally distributed, the distribution of the

sample means will be normally distributed for any sample size n.

A. True B. False C. maybe D. cannot be determined

5. As the degrees of freedom increase, the t-distribution approaches the

normal distribution. After 30 df the t-distribution is very far to the standard
normal z-distribution.

A. True B. False C. maybe D. cannot be determined

II. Find Find the t-values of the t distribution with a critical value 𝛼=0.05 given
the following degrees of freedom:
A. 16 B. 27 C. 26 D. 15

Note: Only for students who can access internet.

Use the link on [Link] and statistics fun (video on How to calculate
t-distributions) for enrichment activity and write your learning insights in your
math journal.

10 NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2
NegOr_Q3_Stat_and_Prob11_Module7_v2 11
PRE-ASSESSMENT:
A. 1. D 2. A 3. A 4. A 5. A
B. a. At df=16 t0.05 = 1.7459
b. At df=7 t0.05 = 1.7033
WHAT’S MORE
Activity 1
1. a) 0.10
b) 1.383
c) 9
2. a) n = 25
b) df = 24
c) 𝜶 = 0.01
d) 𝟗𝟗𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆
ASSESSMENT
I.
1. C 2. A 3. B 4. A 5.B
II.
a) 1.746
b) 1.703
c) 1.706
d) 1.753
References
Books
Malate, Jose S. 2017. "Confidence Interval." In Statistics and Probability, by Jose S. Malate,
102-110. Purelybooks Trading, Inc.
Millard R. Mamhot, et al. n.d. "Statistics for General Education." 79-97. Purelybooks Trading
& Publishing Corporation.
Rene Belecina, et al. n.d. "T-Distribution." In Statistics and Probability, by Rene Belecina. Rex
Bookstore.
Websites
Agnes Ogee, Bruno Scibilia. n.d. [Link]/mp/t-tests-explained. Accessed January
2021. [Link]

Rumsey, Deborah J. "How to Find Percentiles for a t-Distribution." [Link]. March 26,
2016. [Link]
find-percentiles-for-a-t-distribution-169844 (accessed January 4, 2022).
[Link]
(January, 10, 2022).
2020. [Link]/students-t-distribution-in-statistics/. Jul 09. Accessed January
2021.
[Link] (January, 10, 2022).

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Department of Education – Schools Division of Negros Oriental

Kagawasan, Avenue, Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

Tel #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117

Email Address: [Link]@[Link]
Website: [Link]

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