The rule for the proper formulation of a hypothesis test is that the alternative or research hypothesis is the statement that, if true, is strongly supported by the evidence furnished by the data.

The null hypothesis is generally the complement of the alternative hypothesis. Frequently, it is (or contains) the assumption that you are making about how the data are distributed in order to calculate the test statistic.

Here are a few examples to help you understand how these are properly chosen.

  1. Suppose I am an epidemiologist in public health, and I'm investigating whether the incidence of smoking among a certain ethnic group is greater than the population as a whole, and therefore there is a need to target anti-smoking campaigns for this sub-population through greater community outreach and education. From previous studies that have been published in the literature, I find that the incidence among the general population is . I can then go about collecting sample data (that's actually the hard part!) to test This is a one-sided binomial proportion test. is the statement that, if it were true, would need to be strongly supported by the data we collected. It is the statement that carries the burden of proof. This is because any conclusion we draw from the test is conditional upon assuming that the null is true: either is accepted, or the test is inconclusive and there is insufficient evidence from the data to suggest is true. The choice of reflects the underlying assumption that there is no difference in the smoking rates of the sub-population compared to the whole.

  2. Now suppose I am a researcher investigating a new drug that I believe to be equally effective to an existing standard of treatment, but with fewer side effects and therefore a more desirable safety profile. I would like to demonstrate the equal efficacy by conducting a bioequivalence test. If is the mean existing standard treatment effect, then my hypothesis might look like this: for some choice of margin that I consider to be clinically significant. For example, a clinician might say that two treatments are sufficiently bioequivalent if there is less than a difference in treatment effect. Note again that is the statement that carries the burden of proof: the data we collect must strongly support it, in order for us to accept it; otherwise, it could still be true but we don't have the evidence to support the claim.

  3. Now suppose I am doing an analysis for a small business owner who sells three products , , . They suspect that there is a statistically significant preference for these three products. Then my hypothesis is $$H_0 : \mu_A = \mu_B = \mu_C \quad \mathrm{vs.} \quad H_a : \exists i \ne j \text{ such that } \mu_i \ne \mu_j.$$ Really, all that is saying is that there are two means that are not equal to each other, which would then suggest that some difference in preference exists.

Answer from heropup on Stack Exchange
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Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › null and alternative hypotheses | definitions & examples
Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions & Examples
January 24, 2025 - You can use a statistical test to decide whether the evidence favors the null or alternative hypothesis. Each type of statistical test comes with a specific way of phrasing the null and alternative hypothesis.
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National University
resources.nu.edu › statsresources › hypothesis
Null & Alternative Hypotheses - Statistics Resources - LibGuides at National University
October 27, 2025 - This is your answer to your research question. ... Null Hypothesis: H0: There is no difference in the salary of factory workers based on gender. Alternative Hypothesis: Ha: Male factory workers have a higher salary than female factory workers. Null Hypothesis: H0: There is no relationship between ...
Discussions

self study - How to choose the null and alternative hypothesis? - Cross Validated
I'm practicing with the hypothesis test and I find myself in trouble with the decision about how to set a null and an alternative hypothesis. My main issue is to determine, in every situation, a "g... More on stats.stackexchange.com
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How to write multiple hypotheses?
The final null hypothesis (H3: 0) is that gamified VR did not positively affect the mental health of participants. The final alternate hypothesis (H3: 1) is that gamified VR had a positive impact on the mental health of participants. ... I'm wondering the same thing because i've run into the same hitch with my minor research project. I've multiple hypothesis and ... More on researchgate.net
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August 12, 2020
Null hypothesis and Alternative Hypothesis
Hi! So, yours is actually a sophisticated question that masquerades as a simple one, so I'll try to answer this in a way that conveys the concept while perhaps alluding to some of its problems. At its heart, the null hypothesis is a sort of "straw man" that is defined by a researcher at the beginning of an experiment that usually represents a state of affairs that would be expected to occur if the researcher's proposal were false. Note that a null hypothesis is entirely imaginary, and it has nothing to do with the actual state of the world. It is contrived, usually to show that the actual state of the world is inconsistent with the null hypothesis. Suppose a researcher is trying to determine whether the heights of men and women are different. A suitable null hypothesis might be that the difference of the two population averages (height of men and height of women) is equal to zero. Then the researcher would conduct his or her experiment by measuring the heights of many men and women. When it comes time to draw a statistical conclusion, he or she will compute the probability that the observed data (the set of heights) could have come from the null hypothesis (i.e., a world where there is no difference). This probability is called a "p-value". Conceptually, this is similar to a "proof by contradiction," in which we assert that, if the probability is very small that the data could have originated from the null hypothesis, it must not be true. This is what is meant by "rejecting the null hypothesis". It is different from a proof by contradiction because rejecting the null proves nothing, except perhaps that the null is unlikely to be the source of the observed data. It doesn't prove that the true difference is 5 inches, or 1 inch, or anything. Because of this, rejecting the null hypothesis is in NO WAY equivalent to accepting an alternative hypothesis. Usually, in the course of an experiment, we observe a result (such as the observed height difference, perhaps it is ~5 inches) that, once we reject, replaces the hypothesized value of 0 under the null. However, we DON'T know anything about the probability that our observed value is "correct", which is why we never say that we have "accepted" an alternative. I actually hesitate to discuss an "alternative" hypothesis because most researchers never state one and it doesn't matter for the purposes of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST). It is just the name given to the conclusion drawn by the researchers after they have rejected their null hypothesis. Philosophically, there is an adage that data can never be used to prove an assertion, only to disprove one. It includes an analogy about a turkey concluding that he is loved by his human family and is proven wrong upon being slaughtered on Thanksgiving. I'll include a link if I can find it. Now, think about this: The concept of rejecting a null hypothesis probably seems very reasonable as long as we are careful not to overinterpret it, and this is how NHST was performed for decades. But consider - what is the probability that the null hypothesis is true in the first place? In other words, how likely is it that the difference between mens' and womens' heights is equal to zero? I propose that the probability is exactly zero, and if you disagree then I will find a ruler small enough to prove me correct. The difference can never be equal to exactly zero (even though this is the "straw man" that our experiment refutes), so we are effectively testing against a hypothesis that can never be true. Rejecting a hypothesis we already know to be false tells us nothing important ("the data are unlikely to have come from this state that cannot be true"). And since every null hypothesis is imaginary, it is suggested that any null hypothesis can be rejected with enough statistical power (read:sample size). Often a "significant" result says more about a study's sample size than it does about the study's findings, even though the language used in papers/media suggests to readers that the findings are more "important" or "likely to be correct". This has, in part, led to a reproducibility crisis in the sciences and, for some, an undermining of subject-matter-experts' trust in the use of applied statistics. More on reddit.com
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January 5, 2021
how do I determine the null and alternative hypothesis with this given information?
Edit, I'm adding the rest of questions, maybe that'll help provide some context, although all questions revolve around the one originally shown part a. More on reddit.com
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March 10, 2023
People also ask

What are null and alternative hypotheses?
Null and alternative hypotheses are used in statistical hypothesis testing. The null hypothesis of a test always predicts no effect or no relationship between variables, while the alternative hypothesis states your research prediction of an effect or relationship.
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Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions & Examples
What’s the difference between a research hypothesis and a statistical hypothesis?
A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (“x affects y because …”). · A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses. In a well-designed study, the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.
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Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions & Examples
What is hypothesis testing?
Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating our ideas about the world using statistics. It is used by scientists to test specific predictions, called hypotheses, by calculating how likely it is that a pattern or relationship between variables could have arisen by chance.
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Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions & Examples
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Statistics LibreTexts
stats.libretexts.org › campus bookshelves › las positas college › math 40: statistics and probability › 8: hypothesis testing with one sample › 8.1: steps in hypothesis testing
8.1.1: Null and Alternative Hypotheses - Statistics LibreTexts
August 8, 2020 - Bring to class a newspaper, some news magazines, and some Internet articles . In groups, find articles from which your group can write null and alternative hypotheses. Discuss your hypotheses with the rest of the class. In a hypothesis test, sample data is evaluated in order to arrive at a decision about some type of claim.
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Quora
quora.com › How-do-you-find-a-null-hypothesis
How to find a null hypothesis - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): The ‘null hypothesis’ is not ONE hypothesis, rather it asks a question of an experimental result. Example: when testing a drug, the null hypothesis asks: ‘what is the probability the patient gets better without drug/treatment So, what happens without ‘intervention’ is the ‘null...
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The rule for the proper formulation of a hypothesis test is that the alternative or research hypothesis is the statement that, if true, is strongly supported by the evidence furnished by the data.

The null hypothesis is generally the complement of the alternative hypothesis. Frequently, it is (or contains) the assumption that you are making about how the data are distributed in order to calculate the test statistic.

Here are a few examples to help you understand how these are properly chosen.

  1. Suppose I am an epidemiologist in public health, and I'm investigating whether the incidence of smoking among a certain ethnic group is greater than the population as a whole, and therefore there is a need to target anti-smoking campaigns for this sub-population through greater community outreach and education. From previous studies that have been published in the literature, I find that the incidence among the general population is . I can then go about collecting sample data (that's actually the hard part!) to test This is a one-sided binomial proportion test. is the statement that, if it were true, would need to be strongly supported by the data we collected. It is the statement that carries the burden of proof. This is because any conclusion we draw from the test is conditional upon assuming that the null is true: either is accepted, or the test is inconclusive and there is insufficient evidence from the data to suggest is true. The choice of reflects the underlying assumption that there is no difference in the smoking rates of the sub-population compared to the whole.

  2. Now suppose I am a researcher investigating a new drug that I believe to be equally effective to an existing standard of treatment, but with fewer side effects and therefore a more desirable safety profile. I would like to demonstrate the equal efficacy by conducting a bioequivalence test. If is the mean existing standard treatment effect, then my hypothesis might look like this: for some choice of margin that I consider to be clinically significant. For example, a clinician might say that two treatments are sufficiently bioequivalent if there is less than a difference in treatment effect. Note again that is the statement that carries the burden of proof: the data we collect must strongly support it, in order for us to accept it; otherwise, it could still be true but we don't have the evidence to support the claim.

  3. Now suppose I am doing an analysis for a small business owner who sells three products , , . They suspect that there is a statistically significant preference for these three products. Then my hypothesis is $$H_0 : \mu_A = \mu_B = \mu_C \quad \mathrm{vs.} \quad H_a : \exists i \ne j \text{ such that } \mu_i \ne \mu_j.$$ Really, all that is saying is that there are two means that are not equal to each other, which would then suggest that some difference in preference exists.

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The null hypothesis is nearly always "something didn't happen" or "there is no effect" or "there is no relationship" or something similar. But it need not be this.

In your case, the null would be "there is no relationship between CRM and performance"

The usual method is to test the null at some significance level (most often, 0.05). Whether this is a good method is another matter, but it is what is commonly done.

Find elsewhere
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Applied Mathematics
colorado.edu › amath › sites › default › files › attached-files › lesson9_hyptests.pdf pdf
9 Hypothesis Tests (Ch 9.1-­9.3, 9.5-­9.9)
1. Formulate the hypothesis to be tested. 2. Determine the appropriate test statistic and · calculate it using the sample data. 3. Comparison of test statistic to critical region to · draw initial conclusions. 4. Calculation of p-­value. 5. Conclusion, written in terms of the original · problem. 5 · 1. Null vs Alternative Hypotheses ·
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Minitab
support.minitab.com › en-us › minitab › help-and-how-to › statistics › basic-statistics › supporting-topics › basics › null-and-alternative-hypotheses
About the null and alternative hypotheses - Minitab
The null hypothesis states that a population parameter (such as the mean, the standard deviation, and so on) is equal to a hypothesized value. The null hypothesis is often an initial claim that is based on previous analyses or specialized knowledge. ... The alternative hypothesis states that a population parameter is smaller, greater, or different than the hypothesized value in the null hypothesis.
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Investopedia
investopedia.com › terms › o › one-tailed-test.asp
Understanding One-Tailed Tests: Definition, Example, and Significance
August 28, 2025 - Analysts utilize the one-tailed test to validate investment hypotheses by establishing null and alternative hypotheses. The significance level in a one-tailed test is often set at 1%, 5%, or 10% to measure the probability of rejecting a true null hypothesis.
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Outlier
articles.outlier.org › null-vs-alternative-hypothesis
Null vs. Alternative Hypothesis [Overview] | Outlier
April 28, 2023 - One hypothesis is that the proportion of vegetarians is 5%. The other hypothesis is that the proportion of vegetarians is greater than 5%. In statistics, we would call the first hypothesis the null hypothesis, and the second hypothesis the alternative hypothesis. The null hypothesis ( ... H_0H0​) represents the status quo or what is assumed to be true about the population at the start of your investigation.
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Real-Statistics
real-statistics.com › home › hypothesis testing › null and alternative hypothesis
Null & Alternative Hypothesis | Real Statistics Using Excel
May 31, 2025 - The null hypothesis is typically abbreviated as H0 and the alternative hypothesis as H1. Since the two are complementary (i.e. H0 is true if and only if H1 is false), it is sufficient to define the null hypothesis.
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Penn State Statistics
online.stat.psu.edu › statprogram › reviews › statistical-concepts › hypothesis-testing › p-value-approach
S.3.2 Hypothesis Testing (P-Value Approach) | STAT ONLINE
The P-value approach involves determining "likely" or "unlikely" by determining the probability — assuming the null hypothesis was true — of observing a more extreme test statistic in the direction of the alternative hypothesis than the one observed. If the P-value is small, say less than (or equal to) \(\alpha\), then it is "unlikely." And, if the P-value is large, say more than \(\alpha\), then it is "likely."
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/askstatistics › null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis
r/AskStatistics on Reddit: Null hypothesis and Alternative Hypothesis
January 5, 2021 -

Hey! Can someone explain to me in simple terms the definition of null hypothesis? If u can use an example it would be great! Also if we reject the null hypothesis does it mean that the alternative hypothesis is true?

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Hi! So, yours is actually a sophisticated question that masquerades as a simple one, so I'll try to answer this in a way that conveys the concept while perhaps alluding to some of its problems. At its heart, the null hypothesis is a sort of "straw man" that is defined by a researcher at the beginning of an experiment that usually represents a state of affairs that would be expected to occur if the researcher's proposal were false. Note that a null hypothesis is entirely imaginary, and it has nothing to do with the actual state of the world. It is contrived, usually to show that the actual state of the world is inconsistent with the null hypothesis. Suppose a researcher is trying to determine whether the heights of men and women are different. A suitable null hypothesis might be that the difference of the two population averages (height of men and height of women) is equal to zero. Then the researcher would conduct his or her experiment by measuring the heights of many men and women. When it comes time to draw a statistical conclusion, he or she will compute the probability that the observed data (the set of heights) could have come from the null hypothesis (i.e., a world where there is no difference). This probability is called a "p-value". Conceptually, this is similar to a "proof by contradiction," in which we assert that, if the probability is very small that the data could have originated from the null hypothesis, it must not be true. This is what is meant by "rejecting the null hypothesis". It is different from a proof by contradiction because rejecting the null proves nothing, except perhaps that the null is unlikely to be the source of the observed data. It doesn't prove that the true difference is 5 inches, or 1 inch, or anything. Because of this, rejecting the null hypothesis is in NO WAY equivalent to accepting an alternative hypothesis. Usually, in the course of an experiment, we observe a result (such as the observed height difference, perhaps it is ~5 inches) that, once we reject, replaces the hypothesized value of 0 under the null. However, we DON'T know anything about the probability that our observed value is "correct", which is why we never say that we have "accepted" an alternative. I actually hesitate to discuss an "alternative" hypothesis because most researchers never state one and it doesn't matter for the purposes of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST). It is just the name given to the conclusion drawn by the researchers after they have rejected their null hypothesis. Philosophically, there is an adage that data can never be used to prove an assertion, only to disprove one. It includes an analogy about a turkey concluding that he is loved by his human family and is proven wrong upon being slaughtered on Thanksgiving. I'll include a link if I can find it. Now, think about this: The concept of rejecting a null hypothesis probably seems very reasonable as long as we are careful not to overinterpret it, and this is how NHST was performed for decades. But consider - what is the probability that the null hypothesis is true in the first place? In other words, how likely is it that the difference between mens' and womens' heights is equal to zero? I propose that the probability is exactly zero, and if you disagree then I will find a ruler small enough to prove me correct. The difference can never be equal to exactly zero (even though this is the "straw man" that our experiment refutes), so we are effectively testing against a hypothesis that can never be true. Rejecting a hypothesis we already know to be false tells us nothing important ("the data are unlikely to have come from this state that cannot be true"). And since every null hypothesis is imaginary, it is suggested that any null hypothesis can be rejected with enough statistical power (read:sample size). Often a "significant" result says more about a study's sample size than it does about the study's findings, even though the language used in papers/media suggests to readers that the findings are more "important" or "likely to be correct". This has, in part, led to a reproducibility crisis in the sciences and, for some, an undermining of subject-matter-experts' trust in the use of applied statistics.
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The null hypothesis (Ho) signifies no change. The alternative hypothesis (Ha) signifies a change. If we reject the null, we have evidence for the alternative hypothesis. This doesn’t mean that it’s true just that within this study, we have evidence to support the alternative hypothesis. If we fail to reject the null (we don’t use the word accept) then there is not enough evidence supporting the alternative hypothesis. Example: I’m wondering if smoking impacts lung function using a spirometry test that measures forced exploratory volume per second (FEV1). Ho: There is no difference in FEV1 between smokers vs non smokers Ha: There is a difference in FEV1 between smokers and non smokers. Rejecting or failing to reject the null aka Ho will involve more steps than just analyzing the mean FEV1 between the two groups, so let’s stop here before we get into more hypothesis testing.
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Psychstat
advstats.psychstat.org › book › hypothesis › index.php
Null hypothesis testing -- Advanced Statistics using R
Therefore, one starts with a hypothesis and then tests whether the collected data support the hypothesis. The logic of hypothesis testing is - Assuming that the null hypothesis is true, what is the probability of observing a value for the test statistic that is at least as extreme as the value that was actually observed? If the null hypothesis is true while one rejects the null hypothesis, one would make the Type I error. If the alternative hypothesis is true while one fails to reject the null hypothesis, one would make the Type II error.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › data science › z-test
Z-test : Formula, Types, Examples - GeeksforGeeks
A consumer group tests 100 phones and finds the average battery life to be 11.8 hours with a population standard deviation of 0.5 hours. At a 5% significance level, is there evidence to refute the company's claim? ... H_0: \mu = 12 \quad (\text{null hypothesis}) \\H_1: \mu \neq 12 \quad (\text{alternative hypothesis})
Published   July 24, 2025
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Tallahassee State College
tsc.fl.edu › media › divisions › learning-commons › resources-by-subject › math › statistics › Claim-and-Hypothesis.pdf pdf
Identifying the Claim and Setting up Hypothesis for µ or π STA 2023 & 2122
either more or less than 50%. Having this in mind the Null and Alternative Hypothesis looks like: H0: π =.5 (This will be the claim). H1: π ≠.5 · Example 4: An electrical company claimed that less than 2% of · the parts which they supplied on a government contract are defective. A sample of 642 parts was tested, and 17 did not meet the specifications. Can we accept the ... They want to test the proportion of the parts that do not meet the specifications.
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Lumen Learning
courses.lumenlearning.com › introstats1 › chapter › null-and-alternative-hypotheses
Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Introduction to Statistics
This practice is acceptable because we only make the decision to reject or not reject the null hypothesis. H0: No more than 30% of the registered voters in Santa Clara County voted in the primary election. p ≤ 30 · Ha: More than 30% of the registered voters in Santa Clara County voted in the primary election. p > 30 · A medical trial is conducted to test whether or not a new medicine reduces cholesterol by 25%. State the null and alternative hypotheses.
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Laerd Statistics
statistics.laerd.com › statistical-guides › hypothesis-testing-3.php
Hypothesis Testing - Significance levels and rejecting or accepting the null hypothesis
The null hypothesis is essentially the "devil's advocate" position. That is, it assumes that whatever you are trying to prove did not happen (hint: it usually states that something equals zero). For example, the two different teaching methods did not result in different exam performances (i.e., zero difference). Another example might be that there is no relationship between anxiety and athletic performance (i.e., the slope is zero). The alternative hypothesis states the opposite and is usually the hypothesis you are trying to prove (e.g., the two different teaching methods did result in different exam performances).
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Texas Gateway
texasgateway.org › resource › 91-null-and-alternative-hypotheses
9.1 Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Texas Gateway
H0—The null hypothesis: It is a statement of no difference between sample means or proportions or no difference between a sample mean or proportion and a population mean or proportion. In other words, the difference equals 0. Ha—The alternative hypothesis: It is a claim about the population that is contradictory to H0 and what we conclude when we reject H0.