Final answer:
To investigate if the type of fries sold is independent of the region, a chi-square test of independence is used. The process involves organizing data into a contingency table, calculating expected counts, computing the chi-square statistic, assessing the p-value, and drawing a conclusion based on the significance level.
Step-by-step explanation:
To conduct a test of independence to determine if the type of fries sold is independent of the area of the country, we would generally use a chi-square test of independence. This statistical test allows us to see if there is a significant association between two categorical variables (in this case, the type of fries and the area of the country). Here's how you can perform the test:
- Collate the data: Organize the data into a contingency table with fries types in rows and regions in columns.
- Calculate expected counts: Use the marginal totals (totals for rows and columns) to calculate the expected count for each cell under the assumption that the variables are independent.
- Compute the chi-square statistic: Compare the observed counts with the expected counts to calculate the chi-square statistic.
- Assess the p-value: Determine the p-value from the chi-square distribution to decide whether or not to reject the null hypothesis.
- Conclusion: Based on the p-value, decide if the fries type and regional sales are independent or not.