SAN AGUSTIN INTEGRATED SCHOOL LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

San Agustin Libon, Albay

STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY

Topic 16: Identifying Parameters for Testing in Given Real-Life Problems

Inferential statistics makes use of sample data to make an inference and conclusion about a population. The main
activities of inferential statistics are using sample data (1) to estimate a population parameter and (2) to test a hypothesis
or claim about a population parameter. But before you test a hypothesis, you should understand first what parameter is
and how to identify it in each real-life problem.

For instance, you might be interested in the average age of your section where you belong and found the average
age was 17. Do you think this is an example of parameter? To be able to answer this question, read and understand this
module.

What’s In
Activity 1. Choose Wisely!
Directions: Choose the best answer and write the letter of your choice on a separate sheet of paper.

1. The ____________ in a set of data is the sum of the values divided by the total number of values.
A. mean B. range C. variance D. standard deviation
2. The ____________ is the middle value of a data set when it is arranged from smallest to largest.
A. mean B. median C. variance D. standard deviation
3. The ________ is the item of data that appears most frequently in a set of data.
A. mean B. mode C. median D. standard deviation
4. The measurement that shows how data are spread above and below the mean is the _____.
A. mean B. range C. variance D. standard deviation
5. Mean, median, and mode are examples of measures of _____.
A. variation B. data sets C. statistics D. central tendency

What’s New
Activity 2: Grouping!
Directions: Group the following symbols into two. Place the first group inside Box A and the second group in Box B.

̅
𝒙 𝒑 𝒔 𝒔𝟐 ̂
𝒑 𝝁 𝝈 𝝈𝟐

A B

Guide Questions:
1. What are the symbols that you placed in Box A? Box B?
2. How did you categorize each symbol or notation?
3. What mathematical principle did you consider in answering the activity?
4. Which symbols seemed to be familiar to you and which are not?

What Is It
Parameters in statistics are important component of any statistical analysis. In simple words, a parameter is any
numerical quantity that characterizes a given population or some of its aspects. This means the parameter tells us
something about the whole population.
However, the numerical measure that is calculated from the sample is called statistic. Statistic is a known number
and a variable that depends on the portion of the population.
A parameter denotes the true value that would be obtained if a census rather than a sample was undertaken.
Examples of parameters are the measures of central tendency. These tell us how the data behave on an average
basis. For example, mean, median, and mode are measures of central tendency that give us an idea about where the data
concentrate. Meanwhile, standard deviation tells us how the data are spread from the central tendency, i.e. whether the
distribution is wide or narrow. Such parameters are often very useful in analysis.
In the normal distribution, there are two parameters that can characterize a distribution - the mean and standard
deviation. By varying these two parameters, you can get different kinds of normal distribution.
Different symbols are used to denote parameters. Based on Activity 2, symbols are grouped as indicated in the
table below.
 Measure Statistic Parameter
𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑥̅ (x-bar) 𝜇 (myu)
𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑠2 𝜎2 (sigma squared)
𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑠 𝜎 (sigma)
𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑝̂ (p hat) 𝑝

Mean and standard deviation are two common parameters.

Identifying Parameter to be Tested

Illustrative Examples:
1. The average height of adult Filipinos 20 years and older is 163 cm for males.
Parameter: the average height of adult Filipinos 20 years and older In hypothesis testing, the parameter will be
translated into symbols such as 𝛍 = 𝟏𝟔𝟑 where 𝛍 is the symbol for mean/average and 163 is the value that pertains
to the average height.
2. A Grade 11 researcher reported that the average allowance of Senior High School students is ₱100. A sample of 40
students has mean allowance of ₱120. At 𝛼 = 0.01 test, it was the claimed that the students had allowance of ₱ 100.
The standard deviation of the population is ₱50.
Parameters: the average allowance of Senior High School students is ₱100 or 𝝁 = ₱𝟏𝟎𝟎

In this claim, there are different parameters used but the parameter to be tested in this hypothesis would be the
average allowance of Senior High School students since it relates to the population, not in sample.
Statistical hypothesis is a conjecture about the population parameter that’s why you will look for the population
mean, population standard deviation, or population proportion but not sample mean.

3. According to a survey, 63% of the parents are willing to spend extra money for their children’s health and education
matters.
Parameter: the percentage/proportion of parents willing to spend extra money in their children’s health and
education matter or 𝒑 =
𝟎. 𝟔𝟑

To identify the parameters to be tested:

1. Just look for mean/average, standard deviation, variance, and proportion of population.
2. Determine the value that pertains to the given parameter,
then translate them in symbols for hypothesis testing.

What’s More
Activity 3. Translate It!
Directions: Determine the notation of the given parameter, inequality symbol, or value of the parameter.
Notation Symbols (=, ≠,
Value
Parameter (µ, 𝜎, 𝑝, 𝜎2) <, >, ≤, ≥)
1. Average salary of Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)
graduates is at most ₱324,000. _____ ≤ _____
2. The standard deviation of adults riding a bus is 1.5. _____ = _____
3. Filipino employers offer a mean of 15 days of paid vacation for sick leave. _____ _____ 15
4. Survival rate of breast cancer in the Philippines is below 50%. _____ _____ .50
5. Mean number of vehicles in households is at most 1.9 personal vehicles. µ _____ _____

Activity 4-5. What Is Your Parameter?

Directions: Determine the parameter to be tested in each situation by writing your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Translate it into symbols.
1. The television habits of children were observed and found out that the standard deviation is 12.4 hours per week.
2. A newspaper article stated that students in the country take an average of 4 years to finish their undergraduate
degrees. Suppose that you believe the mean time is longer, you conducted survey on 49 students. The result obtained
a sample mean of 5 with a sample standard deviation of 1.2.
3. According to DOLE, registered nurses in government earned an average monthly salary of ₱9,700. For that same year,
a survey was conducted on 41 registered nurses to determine if the mean salary is higher than the previous survey.
The sample average was ₱10,000 with a sample standard deviation of ₱2,500.
4. Records of the Department of Health (DOH) revealed that 14.7% of the country's Filipino smokers have maintained
their habit of smoking.
What I Have Learned
Answer the following questions?

1. What is a parameter? ________________________________________________________________________

2. What are the two commonly used parameters? What are their symbols or notations?
________________________________________________________________________
3. What are the other notations used as parameters?
________________________________________________________________________
4. To identify the parameter to be tested in a claim/hypothesis, what are the concepts to consider?
________________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do
List down five (5) different real-life situations where hypothesis testing can be done. Identify the parameter to be tested
in each situation.
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________________

Assessment

Directions: Choose the best answer to the given questions or statements. Write the letter of your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. The numerical measure that describes the certain characteristics of a population is called ______________.
A. sample B. statistics C. parameter D. population

2. What are the two common parameters of normal distribution?

A. 𝜇 and 𝜎 B. 𝜎 and 𝑝 C. 𝑝 and 𝜇 D. 𝑝̂ and 𝑝
3. Anna wants to estimate the average shower time of teenagers. From the sample of 50 teenagers, she found out that
it takes 5 minutes for teenagers to shower. What is the parameter?
A. sample of 50 teenagers C. average shower time of teenagers
B. 50 teenagers in 5 minutes D. took 5 minutes for teenagers to shower
4. What kind of parameter is applied in the given situation? “The mean height of all Grade 11 students is 170 cm.”
A. mean B. variance C. proportion D. standard deviation
5. An education official wants to estimate the proportion of adults aged 18 and above who had read at least one book
during the previous year. A random sample of 1,006 adults aged 18 or older is obtained, and 835 of those adults had
read at least one book during the previous year.
Determine the parameter in the situation.
A. The parameter is the 835 adults.
B. The parameter is the average of adults aged 18 and above.
C. The parameter is the proportion of adults who had read at least one book during the previous year.
D. The parameter is the random sample of 1,006 adults 18 and above who had read a book in the previous year.
6. Which of following denotes the true value that would be obtained if a census rather than a sample was undertaken?
A. sample B. statistic C. parameter D. population
7. Which of following is NOT a parameter?
A. 𝜎 B. Σ C. µ D. 𝑝
8. Which of the following symbols is used for population variance?
A. Σ B. 𝜎2 C. 𝜎 D. µ
9. A study claims that the mean survival time for a certain cancer patient treated immediately with chemotherapy and
radiation is 24 months. Which is the parameter?
A. 24 months
B. study claims on cancer
C. mean survival time for a certain cancer patient
D. mean survival time of 24 months with chemotherapy and radiation
10. What is the parameter to be tested in this claim? As stated by a company’s shipping department, the number of
shipping errors per million shipments has a standard deviation of 2.7.
A. million shipments C. number of shipping errors
B. standard deviation of 2.7 D. company shipping department
11. A researcher claims that the mean monthly consumption of coffee per person is more than 19 cups. In a sample of
60 randomly selected people, the mean monthly consumption was 20. The standard deviation
of the sample was 4 cups. Which is the parameter to be tested in this claim?
A. sample of 60 randomly selected people C. the mean consumption of coffee per person
B. mean consumption of 60 selected people D. the standard deviation of the sample which was 4 cups
12. A certified public accountant (CPA) claims that more than 30% of all accountants advertise. What kind of parameter
is used in this claim?
A. mean B. variance C. proportion D. standard deviation
13. The average baptismal cost includes 50 guests. A random sample of 32 baptismal during the past year in the National
Capital Region has a mean of 53 guests and a standard deviation of 10. Which is the parameter?
A. the mean of 53 guests C. a random sample of 32 baptismal
B. the standard deviation of 10 D. the average baptismal cost including 50 guests
14. Powder milk is packed in 1-kilogram bag. An inspector from Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) suspects that
bags may not contain 1 kilogram. A sample of 40 bags produces a mean of 0.96 kilograms and standard deviation of
0.12 kilogram. In this problem, 0.96 kilogram is _______.
A. variance B. sample mean C. population mean D. standard deviation
15. In symbols, what is the parameter in the given claim below?
In 2018, DepEd reported that the proportion of Grade 10 completers who proceeded to Grade 11 is 93%.
A. 𝑝 = 0.93 B. 𝜎 = 0.93 C. µ = 0.93 D. 𝑥̅ = 0.93

Additional Activities
Activity 6. Parameter Plus!
Directions: Determine the parameter to be tested in the given problems below.

1. An electric lamps manufacturer is testing a new method of producing lamps that will be considered acceptable in a
normal population with an average life of 2,600 hours and a standard deviation equal to 350. A sample of 80 lamps
produced by this method has an average life of 2,630 hours. Can the hypothesis of validity for the new manufacturing
process be accepted with a risk equal to or less than 5%?
2. A car dealer claims that the average price of Honda Vios is at least ₱662,000.00. A client suspected that the claim is
incorrect and found that random sample of 15 similar vehicles has the mean price of ₱640,000.00 and standard
deviation of ₱ 24,000.00. Is there enough evidence to reject the dealer’s claim at 𝛼 = 0.05?