Final answer:
To determine if the mean annual income of childcare workers in California is greater than in Oregon, we state the null and alternative hypotheses, calculate a test statistic, and make a decision based on the p-value. If the p-value is less than 0.05, we reject the null and conclude that there is sufficient evidence of a difference in mean incomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The task here is to conduct a hypothesis test to determine if there is a significant difference in the mean annual incomes of childcare workers in California (μ1) and Oregon (μ2). With an alpha of 0.05, we are conducting a one-tailed test because the suspicion is that the mean annual income in California is greater than in Oregon.
Step A - Hypotheses
H0 (null hypothesis): μ1 ≤ μ2
HA (alternative hypothesis): μ1 > μ2
Step B - Test Statistic and Decision
To test the hypothesis, we would calculate the test statistic using the given sample means, sample sizes, and population standard deviations. Since the population standard deviations are known, we would use a Z-test for the test statistic. If the p-value calculated from the Z-test statistic is less than the significance level of 0.05, then we reject the null hypothesis.
Step C - Conclusion
Based on the decision to reject the null hypothesis (assuming the calculated p-value is < 0.05), there is sufficient evidence to support the claim that the mean annual income of childcare workers in California is greater than that of childcare workers in Oregon. This conclusion mirrors the provided example that at the 5 percent significance level, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that a mean salary exceeds a given number.