✓ The Conversation AustraliaScience & Systems
P-values show sampling odds, not proof a result is true
A p-value shows how unusual a result is if nothing real changed, not the chance the finding is true.
A p-value is one of science’s most misread numbers. It tells you how often a result this extreme would appear by chance if there were no real effect.
It does not tell you the chance the finding is a fluke. The usual 0.05 line is just a convention, so a result can miss it and still matter.
- 50 and 50
- Example samples
- 3cm
- Height gap
- 0.06
- P-value
- 0.05
- Significance line
Why it mattersBad reading of p-values can turn weak evidence into false certainty, which affects medical claims and public trust.
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