Significant Difference
Definition
A significant difference refers to a result or finding that is unlikely to occur by chance alone and has practical importance or relevance. It indicates that there is a meaningful distinction between groups or conditions being compared.
Analogy
Imagine you are comparing two different brands of smartphones based on their battery life. If there is a significant difference in battery life between the two brands, it means that one brand performs noticeably better than the other, and this difference matters when choosing which phone to buy.
Related terms
Hypothesis Testing: Hypothesis testing involves using statistical methods to evaluate whether observed differences or relationships in data are statistically significant, indicating a significant difference.
Effect Size: Effect size measures the magnitude or strength of a relationship or difference between variables. It provides additional information about the practical importance of a significant difference.
Two-Sample T-test: A two-sample t-test is a statistical test used to compare means from two independent groups and determine if there is a significant difference between them.
"Significant Difference" appears in:
Subjects (2)
Practice Questions (4)
A statistics teacher wants to compare the mean scores of two different classes on a recent exam. She collects data from Class A and Class B and wants to determine if there is a significant difference in their mean scores. Which of the following procedures should she use?
A psychologist wants to investigate if there is a significant difference in anxiety levels before and after a treatment. He collects data from a random sample of 50 individuals and wants to conduct a hypothesis test. Which of the following procedures is most appropriate for him to use?
A researcher wants to investigate if there is a significant difference in the proportions of individuals who prefer different brands of soda across different age groups. They collect data on soda preference and age from a random sample of 500 individuals and create a contingency table. Which of the following procedures is most appropriate?
A researcher measures the heights of two different tree species and wants to determine if there is a significant difference in their mean heights. Which of the following procedures should he use?
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