A Phycologist Is Interested in Determining the Proportion of Algae

Multiple Choice

A phycologist is interested in determining the proportion of algae samples from a local rivulet that belong to a particular phyla, and he believes the phyla should be uniformly distributed. A simple random sample of 60 alga was obtained, and each was categorized as being a member of Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta, or Heterokontophyta. The observed counts were 25, 25, and 10, respectively. When determining the significance of the chi-square statistic, how many degrees of freedom should the phycologist use?

A) 1 degree of freedom
B) 2 degrees of freedom
C) 3 degrees of freedom
D) 4 degrees of freedom