Magnet Treatment of Pain Researchers conducted a study to determine whether magnets are effective in treating back pain, with results given below (based on data from “Bipolar Permanent Magnets for the Treatment of Chronic Lower Back Pain: A Pilot Study,” by Collacott, Zimmerman, White, and Rindone, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 283, No. 10). The values represent measurements of pain using the visual analog scale. Use a 0.05 significance level to test the claim that those given a sham treatment (similar to a placebo) have pain reductions that vary more than the pain reductions for those treated with magnets.

Reduction in Pain Level After Sham Treatment: n = 20, x = 0.44, s = 1.4 Reduction in Pain Level After Magnet Treatment: n = 20, x = 0.49, s = 0.96