The Chi Square Test
The Chi Square Test
The Chi Square Test
Note:
The chi square test does not prove that a hypothesis is correct
It evaluates to what extent the data and the hypothesis have a good fit
The Chi Square Test (we will cover this in lab; the following slides will be useful to review after that lab)
The general formula is
c2 = S
where
(O E)2 E
O = observed data in each category E = observed data in each category based on the experimenters hypothesis S = Sum of the calculations for each category
Note: The wild-type allele is designated with a + sign Recessive mutant alleles are designated with lowercase letters
The Cross:
A cross is made between two true-breeding flies (c+c+e+e+ and ccee). The flies of the F1 generation are then allowed to mate with each other to produce an F2 generation.
The outcome
F1 generation All offspring have straight wings and gray bodies F2 generation 193 straight wings, gray bodies 69 straight wings, ebony bodies 64 curved wings, gray bodies 26 curved wings, ebony bodies 352 total flies
Step 2: Calculate the expected values of the four phenotypes, based on the hypothesis According to our hypothesis, there should be a 9:3:3:1 ratio on the F2 generation
Phenotype
straight wings, gray bodies
Expected probability
9/16
Expected number
9/16 X 352 = 198
Observed number
193
3/16
3/16 1/16
3/16 X 352 = 66
3/16 X 352 = 66 1/16 X 352 = 22
64
62 24
Step 3: Apply the chi square formula (O1 E1)2 (O2 E2)2 (O3 E3)2 (O4 E4)2
c2 =
E1
E2
E3
E4
(69 66)2 66
(64 66)2 66
c2 = 1.06
Step 4: Interpret the chi square value The calculated chi square value can be used to obtain probabilities, or P values, from a chi square table
These probabilities allow us to determine the likelihood that the observed deviations are due to random chance alone
Low chi square values indicate a high probability that the observed deviations could be due to random chance alone High chi square values indicate a low probability that the observed deviations are due to random chance alone If the chi square value results in a probability that is less than 0.05 (ie: less than 5%) it is considered statistically significant The hypothesis is rejected
Step 4: Interpret the chi square value Before we can use the chi square table, we have to determine the degrees of freedom (df) The df is a measure of the number of categories that are independent of each other If you know the 3 of the 4 categories you can deduce the 4th (total number of progeny categories 1-3) df = n 1 where n = total number of categories In our experiment, there are four phenotypes/categories Therefore, df = 4 1 = 3 Refer to Table 2.1
1.06