t-statistic: In statistical tests, the t-statistic measures how much difference there is between two groups, while taking into account how much natural variation exists within the data.

Imagine you’re comparing the heights of coffee plants in two different fields. If the plants in one field are significantly taller than in the other, and there’s not much height variation within each field, the t-statistic will be high, highlighting a strong difference. But if plant heights vary a lot within each field (i.e., some are very tall, some very short), even if there’s an average difference between the two gardens, the t-statistic will be lower, suggesting a weaker, less reliable difference.