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Chi-square independence: city 30 bus 20 car, town 20 bus 30 car…

Step by step, with the reason for every step · Chi-square · University Statistics

Step by step

The question

Question: city: 30 bus, 20 car; town: 20 bus, 30 car: at the 10% level, is the answer linked to the group?

city: 30 bus, 20 car; town: 20 bus, 30 car; α = 0.1

1 Write the hypotheses

H₀ is the "nothing new" idea.

Here: the group and the answer are independent.

H0 : the group and the answer are independent

Hₐ is what we want to show.

Here: the group and the answer are not independent.

Ha : the group and the answer are not independent

Independent means no link: the answer does not depend on the group.

independent: no link, the answer does not depend on the group

2 Totals

The counts in a table.

Each row's total: city, 50; town, 50.

Each column's total: bus, 50; car, 50.

And everyone: 100.

3 Expected counts

If there is no link, each cell expects its row total times its column total, over the grand total.

E = row total × column totaltotal

City, bus: 50 times 50, over 100, is 25.

= city, bus: 50 × 50 ÷ 100 = 25

City, car: 50 times 50, over 100, is 25.

= city, car: 50 × 50 ÷ 100 = 25

Town, bus: 50 times 50, over 100, is 25.

= town, bus: 50 × 50 ÷ 100 = 25

Town, car: 50 times 50, over 100, is 25.

= town, car: 50 × 50 ÷ 100 = 25

4 Each part

Chi-square adds up, for each cell, the observed minus the expected, squared, over the expected.

χ2 = add up all (O − E)2E

A table: each cell, what we saw, O, and what we expected, E.

30 minus 25 is 5.

Squared, 25.

Over 25: 1.

20 minus 25 is −5.

Squared, 25.

Over 25: 1.

20 minus 25 is −5.

Squared, 25.

Over 25: 1.

30 minus 25 is 5.

Squared, 25.

Over 25: 1.

5 Add them

1 plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 is 4.

χ2 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4

6 The cut-off

df is rows minus 1, times columns minus 1: 1 times 1 is 1.

df = (rows − 1)(columns − 1) = (2 − 1)(2 − 1) = 1

Careful!

Not the number of cells minus 1.

Rows minus 1, times columns minus 1: 1.

Careful: not df = 3 ✗

Chi-square is always a right-tail test: big means far from what we expected.

Row 1, column 0.1.

Row 1, column .10: the cut-off is 2.706.

7 Decide

The chi-square curve for df 1.

Past the cut-off, 2.706, is the reject part.

4 is past the cut-off.

So we reject H zero.

= χ2 = 4 > 2.706 → reject H0

8 Say it in words

At the 10% level, there is enough evidence that

In words: at the 10% level, there is enough evidence that the group and the answer are not independent.

the group and the answer are not independent.

9 Check

Let's check: the expected counts give the same row totals.

City: 25 plus 25 is 50.

city: E 25 + 25 = 50 = 50

Town: 25 plus 25 is 50.

So it is right!

town: E 25 + 25 = 50 = 50

Let's look back.

First: write the hypotheses.

Then: totals.

Then: expected counts.

Then: each part.

Then: add them.

Then: the cut-off.

Then: decide.

Then: say it in words.

Last: check.

Answer
= χ2 = 4 > 2.706 → reject H0

Your turn

Try this one yourself, then check:

city: 40 bus, 61 car; town: 60 bus, 40 car; α = 0.1
Show the answer
reject H0

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