Video 20
Significance Tests
This program explains the basic reasoning behind tests of significance and the concept of null hypothesis. The program shows how a z-test is carried out when the hypothesis concerns the mean of a normal population with known standard deviation. These ideas are explored by determining whether a poem “fits Shakespeare as well as Shakespeare fits Shakespeare.” Court battles over discrimination in hiring provide additional illustration.
 
Video 21
Inference for One Mean
In this program, students discover an improved technique for statistical problems that involve a population mean: the t statistic for use when σ is not known. Emphasis is on paired samples and the t confidence test and interval. The program covers the precautions associated with these robust t procedures, along with their distribution characteristics and broad applications.
 
Video 22
Comparing Two Means
How to recognize a two-sample problem and how to distinguish such problems from one- and paired-sample situations are the subject of this program. A confidence interval is given for the difference between two means, using the two-sample t statistic with conservative degrees of freedom.
 
Video 23
Inference for Proportions
This program marks a transition in the series: from a focus on inference about the mean of a population to exploring inferences about a different kind of parameter, the proportion or percent of a population that has a certain characteristic. Students will observe the use of confidence intervals and tests for comparing proportions applied in government estimates of unemployment rates.