Minitab's power and sample size capabilities allow you to examine how the following test properties affect each other:

·    power - the probability of being able to detect an effect (ratio) of a given size

·    sample sizes - the number of observations in the samples

·    ratios - the ratio between the comparison variability and the hypothesized value

If you enter values (or sets of values) for any two of these properties, Minitab will calculate the associated values for the remaining property.

By default, all calculations are based on an a-level of 0.05. However, you can select any value between 0 and 1.

The manager of a lumber yard wants to analyze the performance of the saw mills. One mill is designed to produce beams that are exactly 100 cm long. The manager decides to analyze the standard deviation of these lengths to better understand the precision of the equipment. A ratio of 0.75 between the comparison and hypothesized values is meaningful.