Alternative hypothesis

In an hypothesis test, a sample is observed and a statement is made about a restriction on the probability distribution that generated the observed sample. The hypothesis that the restriction is indeed true is called null hypothesis and it is usually denoted by . The hypothesis that the restriction is not true (because another restriction incompatible with it is true) is called alternative hypothesis and it is usually denoted by .

You can find a more detailed explanation of the concept of alternative hypothesis in the lecture entitled Hypothesis testing.

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