Question: To test a claim about two population variances by using the P-value approach, first find the F test statistic, then refer to Table A-5 to
To test a claim about two population variances by using the P-value approach, first find the F test statistic, then refer to Table A-5 to determine how it compares to the critical values listed for α = 0.01, = 0.025, and α = 0.05. For example, if the F test statistic (for a one-tailed test) is greater than the table value for α = 0.05 but not greater than the value for α = 0.025, then 0.025 < ρ < 0.05. That is, p is between 0.025 and 0.05. Also recall that for two-tailed tests, the significance level in the actual problem is halved for purposes of using the F
distribution tables. Therefore, in these cases, if the test statistic exceeds the critical value for F on a table, the p indicated is 2 times the a shown at the top of that table. For example, an F just above the critical F on the ρ = 0.025 table represents (for a two-tailed test) p < 0.05. Referring to Exercises 4 and 13(a), what can be concluded about the P-values?