STAT381 Project Fall 2009

Object: Do one project on hypothesis testing. This project is optional. If you are satisfied with your exam 1 and 2 scores, you do not need to do this project. The lowest of the three scores: exam 1, exam 2 and the project shall be dropped.

Due date: Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 in class. No late project is accepted. I do accept early if you plan to miss that class.

What to do: Find an interesting topic, best if it is related to your major. One fourth of the scores are given to the choice of the topic. Design an experiment, collect data, and do a hypothesis testing.

Content: Write a detailed plan about what you want to learn or test; what are the experimental units. Propose a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis. Check conditions (e.g. if you use a Z-test, why can you use it?) Perform the test and explain what your decision means in terms of the subject matter (Don’t just say, for example, reject the null hypothesis)

Grading is based on:

1. Choice of the problem: Clarity in stating the problem. Why is your problem novel and meaningful? State the significance, usefulness, and appropriateness of using hypothesis testing and other statistics.

2. Application of statistics: correctness in procedure, test statistics and conclusion

3. Presentation: Problem must be typed. You can use any statistical software, for example, SAS, Minitab, Excel, calculator, etc, or by hand. Some credits are given to the presentation of the project.

4. You may discuss the problems with your friends but the whole project has to be your own work. "F" will be given to both parties of those who copied from each other.