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Statistical Analysis of GPA and Time Differences

The document presents three statistical analyses: the first tests if women science majors who stayed in their profession had a higher GPA than those who left, finding significant evidence to support this claim. The second analysis compares the average time spent by IRS and volunteer tax preparers, concluding a significant difference in time spent. The third analysis examines NHL scoring data between Eastern and Western Conferences, ultimately finding no significant difference in mean points scored.

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Ivy Caporas
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5 views7 pages

Statistical Analysis of GPA and Time Differences

The document presents three statistical analyses: the first tests if women science majors who stayed in their profession had a higher GPA than those who left, finding significant evidence to support this claim. The second analysis compares the average time spent by IRS and volunteer tax preparers, concluding a significant difference in time spent. The third analysis examines NHL scoring data between Eastern and Western Conferences, ultimately finding no significant difference in mean points scored.

Uploaded by

Ivy Caporas
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1.

Problem Solving:
In a study of women science majors, the following data were obtained on two
groups, those who left their profession within a few months after graduation
(leavers) and those who remained in their profession after they graduated
(stayers). Test the claim that those who stayed had a higher science grade point
average than those who left. Use α = 0.05.

To test the claim, we will perform a two-sample z-test for the difference between two
population means.
Assumptions:

 The samples are independent and random.


 The population standard deviations are known.
 The populations are normally distributed or the sample sizes are large enough
(n1 = 103, n2 = 225 are large enough for the Central Limit Theorem to apply).

Hypotheses:

 Null hypothesis (H0): μ1 ≥ μ2 (The mean GPA of leavers is greater than or equal
to the mean GPA of stayers).
 Alternative hypothesis (H1): μ1 < μ2 (The mean GPA of leavers is less than the
mean GPA of stayers). This is a one-tailed test.
Test statistic:

( x̄ 1− x̄ 2)( μ 1−μ 2)
z=
√ +σ 1 σ 2
+
n1 n 2

where:
 xˉ1=3.16
 xˉ2=3.28
 σ1=0.52
 σ2=0.46
 n1=103
 n2=225
 μ1−μ2=0 (under H0)

(3.16−3.28)−0
z= −0.12 −0.12

√ +0.522 0.462
103
+
225
= =
+¿ ¿ √ 0.00262+ 0.00094 √ 0.0576
= -2.08

P-value:

Using a z-table or calculator, the p-value for a one-tailed test with z = -2.08 is
approximately 0.0188.

Conclusion:

Since the p-value (0.0188) is less than the significance level (α = 0.05), we reject the
null hypothesis. There is sufficient evidence to support the claim that those who stayed
had a higher science grade point average than those who left.

2. Problem Summary: The problem presents data on the time spent by two
services helping people prepare their tax returns. The Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) spent an average of 21 minutes (standard deviation 5.6 minutes)
on 10 people, while a volunteer tax preparer spent an average of 27 minutes
(standard deviation 4.3 minutes) on 14 people. We need to determine if there's a
significant difference in the average time spent at a significance level of α = 0.05
and find the 95% confidence interval for the difference in means.

Assumptions:

 Independent Samples: We assume the samples (IRS and volunteer) are


independent.
 Normality: We assume the time spent by each service is approximately normally
distributed. This assumption is reasonable for larger sample sizes, and while our
sample sizes are relatively small (10 and 14), we'll proceed with the analysis. If
the sample sizes were much smaller, a non-parametric test would be more
appropriate.

Solution:

 Hypothesis Testing:
o Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no difference in the average time spent by
the two services (μ1−μ2=0).
o Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a difference in the average time
spent by the two services (μ1−μ2=0). This is a two-tailed test.
 Calculate the pooled standard deviation:

√ √ √
2 2


2 +(n −1)s
(n1 1)s1 ❑❑ =
2
( 10 1 ) (5.6)2 +(14−1)(4.3)2 282.24 +240.63 = 4.97
sp= sp =
n 1+n 2−2 10+ 14−2 22

 Calculate the test statistic: t=


( x̄ 1− x̄ 2)( μ 1−μ 2)

√
 +1 2
sp +
n 1 n2
( 21−27 )−0
¿ −6

√ +1 2 = 4.97 x 0.41 =2.93


+
n 1 n2

 Determine the critical value:


 The degrees of freedom are df=n1+n2−2=22. For a two-tailed test with α = 0.05
and 22 degrees of freedom, the critical t-value is approximately ±2.074 (from a t-
table or calculator).
 Make a decision:
 Since the calculated t-value (-2.93) is less than the critical t-value (-2.074), we
reject the null hypothesis. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a
statistically significant difference in the average time spent by the two services.
 Calculate the 95% confidence interval:
The formula for the confidence interval is:

(x ̄1
√
- x̄ 2 )±t¿ α /2 , df x s p
+1 2
+ −6 ± 2.074 x 4 .97 x 0.41−6 ± 4.20
n1 n2
The 95% confidence interval is approximately (-10.20, -1.80). This means we are 95%
confident that the true difference in means lies between -10.20 and -1.80 minutes. The
negative values indicate that the volunteer tax preparer takes longer on average.
3, Let's analyze the NHL scoring data to determine if there's a significant difference in
means between the Eastern and Western Conferences.

1. Data Summary:

First, we need to calculate the means and standard deviations for each conference's
scoring data.

 Eastern Conference:
 Data: 83, 60, 75, 58, 78, 59, 70, 58, 62, 61, 59

 Mean ( x̄ E) 67.27

 Standard Deviation (sE): 8.94


 Sample Size (nE) = 11
 Western Conference:
 Data: 77, 59, 72, 58, 37, 57, 66, 55, 61
 Mean (xW): 62.22
 Standard Deviation (sW): 12.20
 Sample Size (nW) = 9

2. Hypothesis Testing:
 Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no difference in the mean points scored between
the Eastern and Western Conferences (μE- μW)
 Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a difference in the mean points scored
between the Eastern and Western Conferences (μE+ μW)
 This is a two-tailed test.
 Significance Level (α): 0.05

3. Two-Sample t-test (Assuming unequal variances):

Because the sample standard deviations (sE) and (sW) are significantly different, we'll use a
two-sample t-test that doesn't assume equal variances (Welch's t-test).

The formula for the t-statistic is:


x̄ E− x̄ w
t=

√ s2 E s 2 w
n
+ n
❑ E ❑w

Plugging in the values:


67.27−62.22 5.05
t= 5.05

√ 8.94 12.20 √7.26+ 16.6 = 4. 86 =1.04


=
2 2
+
11 9 ❑

4. Degrees of freedom:

The degrees of freedom for Welch's t-test is approximated using the formula:
( )
2 2
s E s w 2
n
+ n ❑
❑ E ❑w

5. Critical Value:

Using a t-table or calculator with α = 0.05 (two-tailed) and df = 14, the critical t-value is
approximately ±2.145.

6. Decision:

Our calculated t-value (1.04) is less than the critical t-value (2.145). Therefore, we fail to
reject the null hypothesis.

7. Conclusion:

There is not enough statistical evidence at the α = 0.05 level to conclude that there is a
significant difference in the mean points scored between the Eastern and Western
Conferences.

Common questions

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A two-tailed test was appropriate for analyzing the time spent by IRS versus volunteer tax preparers because the research question was concerned with any significant difference in means, regardless of direction. This means detecting whether either service took significantly more or less time than the other. The use of a two-tailed test allows for detecting deviations in either direction from the null hypothesis of no difference in means .

The analysis concluded that there is a statistically significant difference in the average time spent by the IRS and the volunteer tax preparer. After conducting a two-tailed t-test with a calculated t-value of -2.93 and comparing it to a critical t-value of ±2.074, the null hypothesis was rejected. Additionally, the 95% confidence interval for the difference in means was calculated as (-10.20, -1.80), indicating that the volunteer preparer took longer on average .

The study assumed that the samples of science majors (leavers and stayers) were independent and random, and that the population standard deviations were known. Given the sample sizes (n1 = 103, n2 = 225), which were large enough, the Central Limit Theorem was applied, asserting that the distribution of sample means would be approximately normal even if the population distribution wasn't, allowing for valid use of a z-test .

Computing a confidence interval provides a range within which the true difference in means likely falls, adding context to the hypothesis test result. In the IRS and volunteer comparison, the interval (-10.20, -1.80) indicated that volunteers took significantly longer, reinforcing the decision taken from the hypothesis test and providing a clearer picture of how much longer, on average, their service takes .

The test statistic for comparing times was calculated using a t-test formula: t = (¯x1−¯x2) / (sp * √(1/n1 + 1/n2)). Here, x¯1 was the average IRS time (21 minutes) and x¯2 was the average volunteer time (27 minutes). The pooled standard deviation sp was calculated as 4.97. Plugging in the values, t = (-6) / (4.97 * 0.41) = -2.93 .

The two-sample z-test was used to compare the mean GPAs of 'leavers' and 'stayers' among women science majors, testing the hypothesis at α = 0.05. The null hypothesis (H0) assumed the mean GPA of leavers was greater or equal to that of stayers, while the alternative hypothesis (H1) assumed the opposite. With calculated means xˉ1 = 3.16 for leavers and xˉ2 = 3.28 for stayers, and known standard deviations (σ1 = 0.52, σ2 = 0.46), a z-score of -2.08 was derived, resulting in a p-value of approximately 0.0188. Since the p-value was less than 0.05, the null hypothesis was rejected, indicating those who stayed had significantly higher GPAs .

In the NHL scoring comparison, degrees of freedom (df) determine the critical t-value from the t-distribution, which is used to evaluate the statistical significance of the test result. Specifically, for Welch's t-test used here, df = 14 dictated the critical value of ±2.145 for α = 0.05. The calculated t-value was compared to this critical value to decide whether to reject the null hypothesis .

Rejecting the null hypothesis in the GPA study implies there is statistically significant evidence to suggest that women science majors who remained in their professions had higher GPAs compared to those who left shortly after graduation. This finding can influence educational strategies, retention programs, and provide insights into factors contributing to professional persistence among science graduates .

A two-sample t-test assuming unequal variances (Welch's t-test) was employed to compare scoring between the Eastern and Western Conferences of the NHL. With calculated means and standard deviations, the t-value was 1.04. Using α = 0.05 and df = 14, the critical t-value was ±2.145. Since the calculated t-value was less than the critical t-value, the null hypothesis was not rejected, meaning there was no significant evidence of a difference in mean scores between conferences .

Welch's t-test was chosen for comparing NHL conference mean scores because the sample standard deviations for the Eastern and Western Conferences were significantly different, indicating a violation of the equal variance assumption required for a regular t-test. Welch’s t-test is robust to such differences, allowing for a more accurate assessment of the mean difference without assuming homogeneity of variance .

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