This course will focus on theory and implementation of hypothesis testing, especially as it relates to applications in data science. Students will learn to use hypothesis tests to make informed decisions from data. Special attention will be given to the general logic of hypothesis testing, error and error rates, power, simulation, and the correct computation and interpretation of p-values. Attention will also be given to the misuse of testing concepts, especially p-values, and the ethical implications of such misuse.
This course is part of the Data Science Foundations: Statistical Inference Specialization
Offered By
About this Course
Sequence in calculus up through Calculus II (preferably multivariate calculus) and some programming experience in R
What you will learn
Define a composite hypothesis and the level of significance for a test with a composite null hypothesis.
Define a test statistic, level of significance, and the rejection region for a hypothesis test. Give the form of a rejection region.
Perform tests concerning a true population variance.
Compute the sampling distributions for the sample mean and sample minimum of the exponential distribution.
Sequence in calculus up through Calculus II (preferably multivariate calculus) and some programming experience in R
Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Fundamental Concepts of Hypothesis Testing
In this module, we will define a hypothesis test and develop the intuition behind designing a test. We will learn the language of hypothesis testing, which includes definitions of a null hypothesis, an alternative hypothesis, and the level of significance of a test. We will walk through a very simple test.
Composite Tests, Power Functions, and P-Values
In this module, we will expand the lessons of Module 1 to composite hypotheses for both one and two-tailed tests. We will define the “power function” for a test and discuss its interpretation and how it can lead to the idea of a “uniformly most powerful” test. We will discuss and interpret “p-values” as an alternate approach to hypothesis testing.
t-Tests and Two-Sample Tests
In this module, we will learn about the chi-squared and t distributions and their relationships to sampling distributions. We will learn to identify when hypothesis tests based on these distributions are appropriate. We will review the concept of sample variance and derive the “t-test”. Additionally, we will derive our first two-sample test and apply it to make some decisions about real data.
Beyond Normality
In this module, we will consider some problems where the assumption of an underlying normal distribution is not appropriate and will expand our ability to construct hypothesis tests for this case. We will define the concept of a “uniformly most powerful” (UMP) test, whether or not such a test exists for specific problems, and we will revisit some of our earlier tests from Modules 1 and 2 through the UMP lens. We will also introduce the F-distribution and its role in testing whether or not two population variances are equal.
About the Data Science Foundations: Statistical Inference Specialization
This program is designed to provide the learner with a solid foundation in probability theory to prepare for the broader study of statistics. It will also introduce the learner to the fundamentals of statistics and statistical theory and will equip the learner with the skills required to perform fundamental statistical analysis of a data set in the R programming language.

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