In formulating the null and alternative hypothesis, which of the following would be an acceptable null hypothesis?
A) The population mean is greater than 20.
B) The population mean is smaller than 20.
C) The population mean is equal to 20.
D) The population mean is not equal to 20.
E) None of these.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In formulating a hypothesis test, the null hypothesis should always state that there is no difference or no effect, and should be written with an equal sign. Only choice C satisfies this requirement. Choices A and B are stating a direction of the difference between the population mean and 20, while choice D is ambiguous in terms of the direction of the difference. Therefore, the correct answer is C: The population mean is equal to 20.

In Formulating the Null and Alternative Hypothesis, Which of the Following