Inferential statistics - Statistical tests

In many fields, we have to make decisions on the basis of collected data. Inferential statistics: estimation, developed in the article , provides information on how best to use these observations to specify the probabilistic model that generated the data: determining the model, estimating unknown parameters and validating the model.

The decision problem studied in this article consists in deciding between two hypotheses, in the light of observations. We'll use a concrete example to illustrate the various questions that can be asked, leading to different types of testing problems.