Many of us learned about the t-test and F-test at university, as part of a compulsory subject called Industrial Metrology. Typically we knew how to do the calculations and knew enough to get an A for the subject, but we didn’t really know how to apply these two tests in real life.
Those of us who were lucky enough to be exposed to statistics in the workplace understood the importance of these tests, how to use them and how they helped us make decisions.
So how do we use these tests in real life?
t-test
A manager decides to run a training program for all his employees with the aim of increasing their productivity. He measures productivity before and after the training program, then uses a t-test to see whether productivity is the same or has improved after the training.
F-test
A scientist tests a vaccine candidate on 5 groups of people. He uses an F-test to find out whether the variances of the vaccine efficacy across those 5 groups are the same or not.
Statistical tools are part of our Lean Six Sigma training, including Basic Statistics, Statistical Process Control and Design of Experiment courses.