# 9: Two-Sample Problems


The previous two chapters treated the questions of estimating and making inferences about a parameter of a single population. In this chapter we consider a comparison of parameters that belong to two different populations. For example, we might wish to compare the average income of all adults in one region of the country with the average income of those in another region, or we might wish to compare the proportion of all men who are vegetarians with the proportion of all women who are vegetarians. We will study construction of confidence intervals and tests of hypotheses in four situations, depending on the parameter of interest, the sizes of the samples drawn from each of the populations, and the method of sampling. We also examine sample size considerations.

• 9.1: Comparison of Two Population Means- Large, Independent Samples
Suppose we wish to compare the means of two distinct populations. Our goal is to use the information in the samples to estimate the difference in the means of the two populations and to make statistically valid inferences about it.
• 9.2: Comparison of Two Population Means - Small, Independent Samples
When one or the other of the sample sizes is small, as is often the case in practice, the Central Limit Theorem does not apply. We must then impose conditions on the population to give statistical validity to the test procedure. We will assume that both populations from which the samples are taken have a normal probability distribution and that their standard deviations are equal.
• 9.3: Comparison of Two Population Means - Paired Samples
A confidence interval for the difference in two population means using paired sampling is computed using a formula in the same fashion as was done for a single population mean. The same five-step procedure used to test hypotheses concerning a single population mean is used to test hypotheses concerning the difference between two population means using pair sampling. The only difference is in the formula for the standardized test statistic.
• 9.4: Comparison of Two Population Proportions
A confidence interval for the difference in two population proportions is computed using a formula in the same fashion as was done for a single population mean. The same five-step procedure used to test hypotheses concerning a single population proportion is used to test hypotheses concerning the difference between two population proportions. The only difference is in the formula for the standardized test statistic.
• 9.5: Sample Size Considerations
The minimum equal sample sizes needed to obtain a confidence interval for the difference in two population proportions with a given maximum error of the estimate and a given level of confidence can always be estimated. If there is prior knowledge of the population proportions p1 and p2 then the estimate can be sharpened.
• 9.E: Two-Sample Problems (Exercises)
These are homework exercises to accompany the Textmap created for "Introductory Statistics" by Shafer and Zhang.

9: Two-Sample Problems is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by via source content that was edited to conform to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.