In this paper, the definition of a statistical hypothesis is discussed, and the considerations which need to be addressed when testing a hypothesis. In particular, the p-value, significance level, and power of a test are reviewed. Finally, the often quoted confidence interval is given a brief introduction.

The extraordinary success of physicists to find simple laws that explain many phenomena is beguiling. With the exception of quantum mechanics, it suggests a deterministic world in which theories are right or wrong, and the world is simple. However, attempts to apply such thinking to other phenomena have not been so successful. Individually and collectively we face many situations dominated by u...

OBJECTIVE — Previous reports have predicted greater risk of type 1 diabetes among people who were heavier as young children. The Accelerator Hypothesis predicts earlier onset in heavier people, without necessarily a change in risk, and views type 1 and type 2 diabetes as the same disorder of insulin resistance, set against different genetic backgrounds. Insulin resistance is a function of fat m...