Excel 2 - Scientific Notation

Well in this exercise we had to do a t-test in Excel. I was able to use the same data that I used in my last blog:  NAEP State Comparisons 2011 4th Grade Reading. With the power of Excel that is a simple task.  My only issue was the scientific notation.  I noted that some results of the t-test provided answers in scientific notation.

This little quirk made me look at my results carefully.  Just looking at the results makes one think that there is no statistical difference, but upon closer examination I notices the E-07 which told me about the scientific notation and the results were less than .05 for both the P(T<=t) one-tail test and P(T<=t) two-tail test.  With the results of both tests being less than .05 there is a significant difference between the national results for males and females.

Now if the results were greater than .05 we would accept the null hypothesis, that there is no difference, but my results show there is a difference.

In future class an interesting test would examine scores on the fraction test comparing non-traditional students vs traditional students.  We could look at who does better adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.

This assignment aligns with the ISTE-NETS-T standard 3:  Model Digital Age Work and Learning.   Here we are demonstrating fluency in technology, collaborating with others and communicating relevant information to others.