A Severe Storm Has an Average Peak Wave Height of 16.4

Multiple Choice

A severe storm has an average peak wave height of 16.4 feet for waves hitting the shore. Suppose that a storm is in progress with a severe storm class rating. Let us say that we want to set up a statistical test to see if the wave action (i.e., height) is dying down or getting worse. If you wanted to test the hypothesis that the waves are dying down, what would you use for the alternate hypothesis? Is the P-value area on the left, right, or on both sides of the mean?

A) H₁ : $\mu$ is less than 16.4 feet; the P-value area is on the right of the mean
B) H₁ : $\mu$ is not equal to 16.4 feet; the P-value area is on the right of the mean
C) H₁ : $\mu$ is not equal to 16.4 feet; the P-value area is on the left of the mean
D) H₁ : $\mu$ is greater than 16.4 feet; the P-value area is on the right of the mean
E) H₁ : $\mu$ is less than 16.4 feet; the P-value area is on the left of the mean