The Statistics 200 series is designed to give
Garduate Student from other Discplines a foundation Probability Theory
and Statistics. Calculus IS a prerequisite. I will use it
without apology and you will need to use it for calculations
throughout. The two thirds of the course is probability,
introducing the framework of the theory in the simplest context:
Discrete, finite sample spaces. The calculations are not hard, if
they are set up correctly. Then we intrduce more
complicated sample space, continuous distributions, random
variables and the notion of conditioning. The last third of the
course intruduces key notions from statistics including some subset of
estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, linear models,
large sample theory, categorical models, decision theory
Some comments regarding what students should
expect. First, this course provides a nice mix of deductive
reasoning and hands on computation.
Each week there will be a homework assignment due of
roughly 10 problems.
Mostly they will be taken from the book
`Probability' by Hoel, Port and Stone.
You should consult the website at the end of each week to make
sure you have the assignment correctly recorded.
Some Rules regarding Homework:
- Homework is due at the beginning of class on Wednesdays.
- No extensions will be given for late Homework, (unforeseen
illnesses excepted).
- Unfortunately, there is limited amount of resources that can be
given towards grading. Of these 10 problems, two or three will
be considered in detail, the rest will be checked only for
completion. Obviously this means that you might be able to get
away with copying solutions from friends, but this will not help you
learn in the long run.
- Because of the previous item, I expect that you answer problems
in a thoughtful way USING COMPLETE SENTENCES and carefully considering
the presentation of your solutions. I will tell the grader to mark
accordingly, meaning it is not his/her job to decipher your solution.
Grading: Proportion of
total available points will be distributed in the following way:
HW 20%, 30% Midterm, 50% final.
Important: The final will
be on Tuesday 5/20/08 at 5-8pm. You must be able to take the
final on this day in order to take this class--please do not ask to
reschedule.
My Style: (such as it is)
I will try to follow a general pattern which introduces concepts and
then presents two or three examples varying from easy to hard to
illustrate these concepts and their subtleties. I will shadow the
book's presentation in a fairly linear fashion but may supplement
material from time to time.
I would like to test your ability to apply the concepts as well as to
do the standard calulcations, so you should expect (this goes
particularly for exams) that problems will have small twists forcing
you to do a bit more than just regurgitate the text.
Exams: You will be
allowed to bring one 8" by 11" sheet (front AND back) of HANDWRITTEN
notes to all exams.
Final Remarks: The are a
number of good intro texts to Probability besides the one we will
use. For example you might check out Jim Pitman's:
`Probability'. When we get to the Statistics portion of the
course I will give more resources.
Like any math class, It is important to `keep up' with your work
here. Cramming will be impossible, but the course should
definately be manageable if you devote a few hours each week to its
upkeep.