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Section 11.3 The \(F\)-Distribution

Figure 11.3.1. \(F\)-Distribution (Made in GeoGebra by therimalaya and Lauren Nelsen)

Investigation 11.3.1.

(a)

    The \(F\)-distribution curves are not symmetric, but instead .....
  • positively skewed
  • negatively skewed

(b)

    As the degrees of freedom increase, the skewness of the curve .....
  • decreases
  • increases
  • stays the same

(c)

    The area under the curve is equal to .....
  • 1
  • 0
  • 5

(d)

    All values of the \(F\)-distribution are greater than or equal to .....
  • 0
  • 1
  • 5
  • -1
We can use Table 6 in Appendix A of your book to find critical \(F\) values. The notation for these is \(F_{\alpha,D_1,D_2}\text{.}\)
  1. Find the table with the desired significance level.
  2. Locate \(D_1\) across the top of the table.
  3. Locate \(D_2\) along the left of the table.
We can also find critical \(F\)-values using the Excel command
\begin{equation*} F.INV.RT \end{equation*}

Exercise 11.3.2.

Find the following critical \(F\)-values:

(a)

\(F_{0.10,12,20}\)
Answer.
\(\approx 1.892\)

(b)

\(F_{0.10,20,12}\)
Answer.
\(\approx 2.060\)

(c)

\(F_{0.05,7,5}\)
Answer.
\(\approx 4.876\)

(d)

\(F_{0.01,24,15}\)
Answer.
\(\approx 3.294\)