Suppose an experiment was done to gather data on the number of unpopped kernels of microwave popcorn. Half of the students in your class took home a bag, put it in the freezer overnight, and popped it the next day. The other half took the bag, left it on their kitchen counter overnight, and popped it the next day. Each group counted the number of unpopped kernels. Which of the following is an appropriate alternative hypothesis to test whether the freezer method left fewer unpopped kernels?

a. x (freezer) b. μ (freezer) > μ (counter)

c. μ (freezer) 1 (counter)

d. μ (freezer)

Step-by-step explanation:

The alternative hypothesis is the opposite of the null hypothesis

The hypothesis to be tested would be that "there is no difference between the mean number of unpopped kernels from the freezer method and the counter method.

For the null hypothesis,

H0 : μf ≤ μc H0 : μf - μc ≤ 0

The alternative hypothesis is

H1 : μf > μc H1 : μf - μc > 0

Where

f represents the freezer method

c represents the counter method

From the alternative hypothesis, adding μc to both sides of the inequality, it becomes

μf > μc

Therefore, the correct option is

b. μ (freezer) > μ (counter)