  The concept of the "statistical significance" of an observation, and how it
is used in particle physics experiments is reviewed. More properly known as a
"p-value," the statistical foundations for this concept are reviewed from a
freqentist perspective. The discovery of the top quark at the Fermilab Tevatron
Collider and a more recent analysis of data recorded at Fermilab are used to
illustrate practical applications of these concepts.
