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The easiest way to calculate p-values in Google Sheets is to use the T.TEST() function, which finds the p-value associated with a t-test and uses the following syntax:
T.TEST(range 1, range2, tails, type)
where:
- range1: The first sample of data
- range2: The second sample of data
- tails: The number of tails to use for the test
- 1: One-tailed (or “one-sided”) t-test
- 2: Two-tailed (or “two-sided) t-test
- type: The type of t-test
- 1: Paired t-test
- 2: Two sample t-test with equal variance
- 3: Two sample t-test with unequal variance
This function returns the p-value that corresponds with the t-test.
The following step-by-step example shows how to use this function in practice.
Step 1: Create the Data
First, let’s create a fake dataset that contains the height of two different plant species:
Step 2: Calculate the P-Value of the t-Test
Next, suppose we want to perform a t-test to determine if the mean height between the two plant species is equal.
The following screenshots show which formulas to use to calculate the p-values of the tests.
Paired Samples t-Test
We can use the following formula to calculate the p-value for a :
The p-value turns out to be 0.1586. Since this is not less than α = .05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis of the test. We do not have sufficient evidence to say that the mean height between the two species is different.
Two Sample t-Test with Equal Variance
The p-value turns out to be 0.5300. Since this is not less than α = .05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis of the test. We do not have sufficient evidence to say that the mean height between the two species is different.
Two Sample t-Test with Unequal Variance
We can use the following formula to calculate the p-value for a two sample t-test with unequal variance:
The p-value turns out to be 0.5302. Since this is not less than α = .05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis of the test. We do not have sufficient evidence to say that the mean height between the two species is different.