Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Definition
Expected values are the theoretical frequencies of outcomes in a distribution, calculated based on a specified model. They are used to determine how well observed data fits an expected distribution.
Expected values are calculated using the formula $E_i = N \times p_i$, where $N$ is the total number of observations and $p_i$ is the probability of each outcome.
They play a crucial role in the Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit test, which compares observed frequencies to expected frequencies.
The Chi-Square statistic is computed as $$\chi^2 = \sum \frac{(O_i - E_i)^2}{E_i}$$ where $O_i$ and $E_i$ are observed and expected frequencies, respectively.
A significant difference between observed and expected values indicates that the observed data does not fit the expected distribution well.
Expected values must be greater than or equal to 5 for each category to ensure the validity of the Chi-Square test.