Statistics 20: Probability and
Statistics
Course Description
This course is an introduction to
probability and statistics. The topics to be covered are descriptive
statistics, normal approximation, correlation, regression, probability
theory through chance models, making inference through tests of statistical
significance. Aspects of experimental design will also be covered. No prior
experience is assumed.
Pre-requisites: One semester of calculus
Text: Freedman, Pisani, and Purves, Statistics,
4th edition
All material for the
course will be posted on bspace.berkeley.edu. Check regularly for updates.
Instructor
Office: 395 Evans
Email: rabbee@stat.berkeley.edu
URL:
http://www.stat.berkeley.edu/~rabbee/s20
Graduate Student Instructors
Rohan Salantry,
rohans@berkeley.edu
Courtney Gill, courtney.s.gill@berkeley.edu
Anshuman Tiwari, anshuman@berkeley.edu
Lectures
TTh 2-3:30pm at 277 Cory
I donÕt allow cell phones, iPads
or laptops in lecture. If you want to use a device to take notes – please
speak to me.
Grading
Grades will be based on homeworks,
two midterms and a final exam.
Homeworks: The weekly
homeworks will count for 15%. Lowest two homeworks will be dropped. Collected
in Wed section.
Midterms: The midterms
will count for 25% each. No make up midterms will be given.
Final: The final
counts for 35% of your grade. Tuesday December 17, 2013. 8:00am-11:00am. Location TBA. No
alternative dates for the final are available. If you canÕt take the final on
this date, donÕt take the course.
Cutoffs between letter grades will be set at the end of the
semester. The grade distribution is not set in advance but statistics
department guidelines are approximately 20% A, 30% B, 40% C, 10% D/F/NP.
Calculators
You will need a calculator that
adds, subtracts, multiplies, divides, exponentiates,
takes square roots and preferably calculates factorials. You donÕt need a
statistical calculator. Using cell phone calculators will not be allowed in any
of the exams.
Academic Honesty
You may collaborate with others in
working out the homeworks, but must write up your own work. No collaboration is
allowed in the exams. Penalties for cheating will be severe. Here are more details.
Links
Big
Data and Analytics - Why study statistics?
The Data and Story Library is a rich
source of diverse data sets
Professor
Jeff Frankel's blog at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
David
Friedman's histogram of the manhattan skyline
Thirteen ways
to look at the correlation coefficient
Perimenopausal and Menopausal women and HRT (randomized
experiment vs controlled studies)
The Gallup Polls this election season
2012
Nate Silver's blog in New York
Times
Homework
Collected in section; returned in
section (on rare occasions you may use the department front desk 367 Evans
9-12p; 1-4pm to leave your homework with clearly marked lecture, section and
GSI name). You may use pen, pencil or type your homework. Just make sure it is
legible. No late homeworks will be accepted.