Testing Claims About Proportions
In Exercises 9–32, test the given claim. Identify the null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, test statistic, P-value, or critical value(s), then state the conclusion about the null hypothesis, as well as the final conclusion that addresses the original claim. Use the P-value method unless your instructor specifies otherwise. Use the normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution, as described in Part 1 of this section.


Medical Malpractice In a study of 1228 randomly selected medical malpractice lawsuits, it was found that 856 of them were dropped or dismissed (based on data from the Physicians Insurers Association of America). Use a 0.01 significance level to test the claim that most medical malpractice lawsuits are dropped or dismissed. Should this be comforting to physicians?

A nonprofit consumer organization says that less than 25% of the televisions the organization rated in a recent year have an overall score of 70 or more. In a random sample of 35 televisions the organization rated in a recent year, 23% have an overall score of 70 or more. At α=0.05, can you support the organization’s claim?

A research center claims that more than 80% of U.S. adults think that mothers should have paid maternity leave. In a random sample of 50 U.S. adults, 82% think that mothers should have paid maternity leave. At α=0.05, is there enough evidence to support the center’s claim?

Final Conclusions

In Exercises 21–24, use a significance level of α = 0.05 and use the given information for the following:

State a conclusion about the null hypothesis. (Reject H0 or fail to reject H0.)

Without using technical terms or symbols, state a final conclusion that addresses the original claim

Original claim: More than 35% of air travelers would choose another airline to have access to inflight Wi-Fi. The hypothesis test results in a P-value of 0.00001.

Using Technology

In Exercises 5–8, identify the indicated values or interpret the given display. Use the normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution, as described in Part 1 of this section. Use a 0.05 significance level and answer the following:

a. Is the test two-tailed, left-tailed, or right-tailed?

b. What is the test statistic?

c. What is the P-value?

d. What is the null hypothesis, and what do you conclude about it?

e. What is the final conclusion?

Adverse Reactions to Drug The drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) is used to treat high cholesterol. In a clinical trial of Lipitor, 47 of 863 treated subjects experienced headaches (based on data from Pfizer). The accompanying TI-83/84 Plus calculator display shows results from a test of the claim that fewer than 10% of treated subjects experience headaches.

Testing Claims About Proportions

In Exercises 9–32, test the given claim. Identify the null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, test statistic, P-value, or critical value(s), then state the conclusion about the null hypothesis, as well as the final conclusion that addresses the original claim. Use the P-value method unless your instructor specifies otherwise. Use the normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution, as described in Part 1 of this section.

Internet Use A random sample of 5005 adults in the United States includes 751 who do not use the Internet (based on three Pew Research Center polls). Use a 0.05 significance level to test the claim that the percentage of U.S. adults who do not use the Internet is now less than 48%, which was the percentage in the year 2000. If there appears to be a difference, is it dramatic?

Testing Claims About Proportions

In Exercises 9–32, test the given claim. Identify the null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, test statistic, P-value, or critical value(s), then state the conclusion about the null hypothesis, as well as the final conclusion that addresses the original claim. Use the P-value method unless your instructor specifies otherwise. Use the normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution, as described in Part 1 of this section.

Births A random sample of 860 births in New York State included 426 boys. Use a 0.05 significance level to test the claim that 51.2% of newborn babies are boys. Do the results support the belief that 51.2% of newborn babies are boys?

Testing Claims About Proportions

In Exercises 9–32, test the given claim. Identify the null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, test statistic, P-value, or critical value(s), then state the conclusion about the null hypothesis, as well as the final conclusion that addresses the original claim. Use the P-value method unless your instructor specifies otherwise. Use the normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution, as described in Part 1 of this section.

Online Friends A Pew Research Center poll of 1060 teens aged 13 to 17 showed that 57% of them have made new friends online. Use a 0.01 significance level to test the claim that half of all teens have made new friends online.

Testing Claims About Proportions

In Exercises 9–32, test the given claim. Identify the null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, test statistic, P-value, or critical value(s), then state the conclusion about the null hypothesis, as well as the final conclusion that addresses the original claim. Use the P-value method unless your instructor specifies otherwise. Use the normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution, as described in Part 1 of this section.

Belief in Ghosts In a Harris Interactive poll of 2250 adults, 42% of the respondents said that they believe in ghosts. Use a 0.01 significance level to test the claim that more than of adults believe in ghosts.