Instructor: Jimin Ding;
Office Hours: Tue. noon-12:50pm.(in EADS 014) and Wed. 2:00-3:00pm.(CupplesI 112A)
or by appointment
Topics covered:
An introduction to probability and statistics. Discrete and continuous random variables, mean and variance, hypothesis testing and confidence limits, Student?s-t, Bayesian inference, linear regression, single factor analysis of variance, nonparametric methods. Calculator will be needed for calculations in homeworks and exams. Graphing calculator with Z, t, chi-square and F distribution functions (such as the TI-83 series) may be helpful but is not required. Statistical softwares, such as SAS and R will be introduced and used in an essential way.
Prerequisites:
Textbook:
Homeworks and Exams:
There will be about six recommended homework problems from the textbook for each day of class. Of these, usually two (the odd-numbered questions) will have answers in the back of the book and I will try to work out some even-numbered problems in class if there is time. Most of the exam and final questions will be chosen from the recommended problems with slight modifications. The rest of the exam questions will be similar to these. Hence you are strongly suggested to work on the recommended homework problems by hand (with calculator). You may check your answers with the weekly solution posted online the next Wednesday. However, the recommended homework problems will NOT be collected and will NOT account towards the course grade.
We will have about six REQUIRED COMPUTER HOMEWORK SETS, which will be due on Wednesdays. Computer homework should be handed in to Room 100, Cupples I by 4:30pm on the due date. NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. Each of the assignment will consist of three to four problems which are to be done using statistical package SAS (or R). Examples of SAS programs and output will be posted on the course website and discussed in class. The computer homework will count as 30% of the course grade.
There will be three in-semester examinations and the final exam will be on Friday May 7, 2010 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
All exams are close-notes-and-close-book. Only one 4x6 inch notecard with notes may be brought to each examination. Calculators are allowed but not required. All the distribution tables will be provided by the instructor. A large fraction of the exam questions will be from the recommended homework (with slight changes). Thus you should have no trouble doing well on the exams if you have been doing the recommended homework regularly. Approximately half of the final exam will cover the material since the third exam. The other half will cover the same material covered in the first three exams.
Grades:
Each of the midterms will count 15% and final will count for 25% towards the final grade. The required Computer Homework will count the remaining 30%. Then your final letter grade is determined as follows. The A range will be 85 to 100, the B range will be 75 to 85, the C range will be 65 to 75, and the D range will be 60 to 65, with plus and minus grades given to the top 10% and bottom 10% students in each of these ranges. (If you elect ``Credit/No Credit'', Cr means D or better.)
Collaboration:
Collaboration on homework is allowed and can be helpful (and fun). Collaboration on homework is encouraged, both for using the computer and for doing problems. However, you must do all written work by yourself, both computer programs and answers to homework questions. You must also write, enter, and run all programs yourself.
If you collaborate with someone on a homework, list his or her name in a note at the top of the first part of your homework.
Some useful links and references: