Final answer:
When testing a hypothesis at an alpha level of 0.05, there is a 95% confidence that the observed results are due to sampling error or because of sample randomness. The chances of not rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false is more than 5%.
Step-by-step explanation:
The alpha level of 0.05 in hypothesis testing refers to the significance level, which is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true. When testing a hypothesis at an alpha level of 0.05:
- The chances of not rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false is more than 5%. This means that the probability of committing a Type II error, which is failing to reject the null hypothesis when it is actually false, is less than 5%.
- The meaning of testing a hypothesis at an alpha level of 0.05 is that there is a 95% confidence that the observed results are due to sampling error or because of sample randomness. In other words, there is a 5% chance that the observed result is outside the range of random variation.