Lecture | Date | Section | Topic | Notes | Homework |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8/24 | 1.2 | Data basics | ||
2 | 8/26 | 1.3 | Sampling principles and strategies | Week 1 | |
3 | 8/28 | 1.4 | Experiments | ||
4 | 8/31 | 2.1 | Examining numerical data | ||
5 | 9/02 | 2.1 | Examining numerical data - con’d | Week 2 | HW 1 |
6 | 9/04 | 2.2 | Considering categorical data | ||
7 | 9/07 | 3.1 | Defining probability | ||
8 | 9/09 | 3.2 | Tree diagrams | Week 3 | |
9 | 9/11 | Midterm 1 | |||
10 | 9/14 | 3.2 | Conditional probability | ||
11 | 9/16 | 3.4 | Weighted averages & expected value | Week 4 | HW 2 |
12 | 9/18 | 3.4 | Random variables | ||
13 | 9/21 | 3.5 | Continuous distributions | ||
14 | 9/23 | 4.1 | Normal distribution | Week 5 | HW 3 |
15 | 9/25 | 5.1 | Point estimates and sampling variability | ||
16 | 9/28 | 5.1 | Point estimates and sampling variability | ||
17 | 9/30 | Midterm 2 | Week 6 | ||
18 | 10/02 | 5.2 | Confidence intervals for a proportion | ||
19 | 10/05 | 5.3 | Hypothesis testing for a proportion | ||
20 | 10/07 | 6.1 | Inference for a single proportion | Week 7 | HW 4 |
21 | 10/09 | 6.2 | Difference of two proportions | ||
22 | 10/12 | 7.1 | One sample means with the t-distribution | ||
23 | 10/14 | Midterm 3 | Week 8 | ||
24 | 10/16 | 7.3 | Difference of two means | ||
25 | 10/19 | 7.2 | Paired data | ||
26 | 10/21 | 8.1 | Fitting a line, residuals, and correlation | Week 9 | HW 5 |
27 | 10/23 | 8.2 | Least squares regression | ||
28 | 10/26 | 6.4 | Testing for independence in two-way tables | ||
29 | 10/28 | Review | Week 10 | HW 6 | |
30 | 10/30 | Midterm 4 |
Math 121 will cover most of chapters 1-8 in OpenIntro Stats, on representing and summarizing data, sampling, probability, statistical inference, and linear regression.
In order to master a subject like statistics, regular attendance is crucial. However, if you have a fever or are not feeling well, then please do not come to class that day. As long as you let me know the reason for your absence, I will do my best to help you stay caught up and make up any material that you missed. The key is to communicate with me when you aren’t able to attend class.
My office hours are shown above on my weekly schedule. I am also available by appointment. My office is Blake B-02, which is one of the Blake apartments. You can find it on this map. It looks like a student apartment, but I am using it as my office while the new science building is being built. During my regularly scheduled office hours the front door should be unlocked, so feel free to come in. I’ll be right upstairs. If you would prefer to schedule online office hours, let me know and I’ll be happy to set up a Zoom meeting.
The term grade will be based on the results of the examinations and homework.
Component | Proportion |
---|---|
Homework | 40% |
Midterm 1 | 10% |
Midterm 2 | 10% |
Midterm 3 | 10% |
Midterm 4 | 10% |
Final Exam | 20% |
There will be four in-class midterm exams and a cumulative final. The exams will be closed book. You are allowed to use a scientific or graphing calculator during the exams. You may also use your cellphone as a calculator, but you may not use your phone for any other purpose during exams.
There will be several homework assignments throughout the semester. You solutions should be submitted to me by e-mail as a PDF file. You can complete the homework on a computer (using MicrosoftWord or similar software) or you can scan your written homework. I recommend using the CamScanner app which is available for free for both Android and iOS.
The best thing you can do to succeed in this class is to make sure that you keep up with and understand all of the homework. Here is a little advice on how to get the most credit out of your homework, with the least work.
Read twice. Questions in statistics are often wordy. Read each question twice before you try to answer. Make sure you understand exactly what the question is asking. If you don’t, then ask me in class or during my office hours.
Keep it simple. I don’t want long essay answers. I want you to write a short answer that mentions the key concept. I’m usually looking for one or two keywords, not for a detailed exposition. If you can figure out the keyword or concept that applies, then just write a short one or two sentence answer to explain how it fits.
Double check. After you think you have an answer, re-read the question again. Make sure that your answer actually answers the question that is being asked.
Don’t get stuck. If you spend more than 5 minutes without knowing how to approach a problem, then move on. Circle the question you don’t understand and ask me or one of the statistics tutors about it later. Don’t waste your time being stuck.
All of this advice applies to exams too!
In compliance with the Hampden-Sydney College policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be recommended for students with disabilities. Requests for academic accommodations are to be made at the beginning of the semester (except for unusual circumstances) so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Students are required to contact the Office of Academic Success in order to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
If we need to switch to an online virtual course at any point during the semester, the basic outline and schedule of topics for the course will remain the same. I will provide asynchronous video guided notes and workshops to help learn the material. I will also divide the class into smaller groups and schedule Zoom meetings during our regular class time (MWF 10:00 - 11:10am & R 2:30 - 3:40pm) where we can go over the material in more detail. I may also incorporate a short oral examination as part of one or more of the midterm or final exams. If you know that you will have trouble with Zoom from home, please let me know.