Statistics for the Terrified: Glossary
Click on an item below to see the definition
F distribution:
The distribution of the test statistic used in analysis of variance.
F ratio:
The ratio of two variances, arising from analysis of variance. A large f
ratio gives rise to significant results - small ones do not.
Factor:
An experiment is usually designed to investigate the effect that certain factors
have on an outcome, such as sex (a two-level factor; male, female), or UK nationality (a four-level factor; english,
irish, scottish, welsh).
False negative:
When our data leads us to believe something is untrue when it is in fact true.
False positive:
When our data leads us to believe something is true when it is in fact untrue.
Field trial:
Trials concerned with large populations in real life situations, for example
large vaccine trials. (The term derives from agricultural experiments carried out by R.A. Fisher.)
Fisher's exact test:
Used in place of the chi-square test (in a classification table scenario)
when the expected value of at least once cell is less than five.
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