Colorado State University, Pueblo; Spring 2015
Math 156 — Introduction to Statistics, Section 3
Course Schedule & Homework Assignments

Here is a link back to the course syllabus/policy page.

This schedule is will be changing very frequently, please check it at least every class day, and before starting work on any assignment (in case the content of the assignment has changed).

In the following all reading assignments, sections, and page numbers refer to the required course textbook, The Basic Practice of Statistics, 6^th ed., by Moore, Notz, and Fligner, unless otherwise specified.

If you see the symbol below, it means that class was videoed and you can get a link by e-mailing me. Note that if you know ahead of time that you will miss a class, you should tell me and I will be sure to video that day for you.

When there is a reading assignment, please read the named section(s) before that day.

Homework for a particular day is due that day, either in class or handed in at my office by 2pm.

This schedule is will be changing very frequently, please check it at least every class day, and before starting work on any assignment (in case the content of the assignment has changed).

• M:
  • A lot of bureaucracy and introductions.
  • Read the course syllabus and policy page.
  • HW0 Send me e-mail (at jonathan.poritz@gmail.com) telling me:
    1. Your name.
    2. Your e-mail address. (Please give me one that you actually check fairly frequently, since I may use it to contact you during the term.)
    3. Your year/program/major at CSUP.
    4. What you intend to do after CSUP, in so far as you have an idea.
    5. Past math classes you've had.
    6. The reason you are taking this course.
    7. Your favorite mathematical subject.
    8. Your favorite mathematical result/theorem/technique/example/problem.
    9. Anything else you think I should know (disabilities, employment or other things that take a lot of time, etc.).
    17. [Optional:] The name of a good book you have read recently.
    Please do this some time Monday. But as some direct incentive: I will only enter your name into my gradebook and give you your Homework Late Passes when I get this e-mail, so you really need to do this assignment as soon as possible. [By the way, just to be fair, in case you are interested, here is a version of such a self-introductory e-mail with information as I would fill it out for myself.]
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • individuals
    • variables, categorical and quantitative
    • graphs for categorical variables:
      • bar charts
      • pie charts
      • frequency
      • relative frequency
• W:
  • Read To the Student and Chapter 1
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • histograms
    • shape
    • left- or right-skewed
    • symmetric
    • uni- or multimodal
• F:
  • [Re]read Chapter 1 and read Chapter 2
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • center
    • spread
    • mean
    • median
    • mode
  • Quiz 1 today
  • Hand in HW1: 1.{26, 34, 38, 40}
  • Today [Friday] is the last day to add classes.

• M:
  • Yes, we do have class today, even though it is the federal holiday in honor of Dr Martin Luther King. Why don't you go watch a great speech of his, such as this one ... now there was a great man, speaking important truths with just amazing eloquence!
  • [Re]read Chapter 2
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • mean vs median
    • quartiles
    • IQR
    • variance and standard deviation
    • five-number summary
    • boxplot
    • 1.5IQR rule for outliers
• W:
  • Read Chapter 3
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • density curves
    • mean, median, and standard deviation of a density curve
    • Normal distribution and its properties (location of the mean and standard deviation; symmetry; long, thin tails)
    • 68-95-99.7 rule
• F:
  • [Re]read Chapter 3
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • working with the Normal distribution: use
      • symmetry
      • total area is 1 (=100%)
    • using the calculator and the book's Table A to find Normal and inverse Normal values
  • Quiz 2 today
  • Hand in HW2: 2.{38, 39, 41}, 3.{17, 18}

• M:
  • [Re]read Chapter 3 and read Chapter 4
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • some discussion of when Normal distributions are likely to occur
    • standardizing a normal RV
    • making a scatterplot
    • qualitative descriptions of scatterplots:
      • direction
      • form
      • strength
  • Today [Monday] is the last day to drop classes without a grade being recorded.
• W:
  • [Re]read Chapter 4
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • the correlation coefficient $r$ and its relationship to direction, strength, and form in a scatterplot
    • the somewhat different idea of outliers in the context of scatterplots
• F:
  • Read Chapter 5
  • This page was pointed out in class as something to read over the weekend, so we can have a quick discussion of ASEs on Monday.
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • How to do scatterplots and compute the correlation coefficient $r$ on the calculator.
    • Interpretation of the square of the correlation coefficient $r^2$.
    • The least squares regression line
  • Quiz 3 today
  • Hand in HW3: 3.{32, 36, 42}, 4.{22, 26, 28} (you may hand in the last two of those problems on Monday, if you like).

• M:
  • Discussion of ASEs — see this page for information and examples — please have read that description before class.
  • Hand in the last part of HW3, being problems 4.26 and 4.28, if you did not do so last Friday.
  • [Re]read Chapter 5
  • Some content we discussed, terms defined:
    • more on regression
• W:
  • [Re]read Chapter 5
  • Hand in ASE1 (for information, remember this web page).
  • Starting review for Test I
• F:
  • More review for Test I. See this review sheet
  • Quiz 4 today
  • Hand in HW4: 5.{34, 36, 44}

• M:
  • Test I in class today. Make sure you are comfortable with the material outlines on this review sheet. Don't forget your calculator!
• W:
  • Test I post-mortem.
• F:
  • Read Chapter 8.
  • Hand in Test I revisions, if you like.

• M:
  • Read Chapter 8.
  • Hand in ASE2 — please try to find one which mentions correlation, or even regression, extrapolation, "best linear approximation/fit", etc. [Here's one example of such an ASE.]
• W:
  • Read Chapter 9
  • Hand in HW5: 8.{38, 45, 46, 47}
• F:
  • Read Chapter 9.
  • Hand in ASE3 — please try to find one which mentions sampling or at least completely describes the sampling method used in the study.
  • Quiz 5 today.

• M:
  • SNOW EMERGENCY: NO CLASS!
• W:
  • Read Commentary: Data Ethics, being pp. 247-254 of your textbook and Chapter 10.
  • Hand in HW6: 9.{28, 30, 48}
• F:
  • Read Chapter 10.
  • Quiz 6 handed out today, due Monday.

• M:
  • Read Chapter 11
  • Hand in Quiz 6 today [If you need a copy of the quiz, e-mail me.
  • Hand in HW7: 10.{42, 44, 48}
    [This HW may be handed in on Wednesday, if you prefer.]
• W:
  • Read Chapter 11
  • Hand in ASE4, which is a special one: read this article and any other sources you find on the same subject which are useful, and then do as detailed an ASE as you can on this topic. Also include a section in this ASE discussing the ethics of this study. Use the ethical criteria we discussed in class and which are in the section Commentary: Data Ethics, pp. 247-254, of our textbook.
    [This ASE may be handed in on Friday, if you prefer.]
• F:
  • Read Chapter 12
  • Hand in HW8: 11.{24, 26, 30}
  • Note that Quiz 6, ASE4, HW7, and HW8 must all be handed in before the end of the week.
  • Quiz 7 today.

• M:
  • Read Chapter 12
• W:
  • Read Chapter 12
• F:
  • Review for Test II. See this review sheet.
  • Hand in HW9: 12.{30, 32, 38}
  • Quiz 8 today.
  • Today [Friday] is the last day to withdraw (with a W) from classes.

• M:
  • Test II in class today. Make sure you are comfortable with the material outlines on this review sheet. Don't forget your calculator!
• W:
  • Test II post-mortem.
  • Hand in ASE5 — please try to find one which mentions independence, conditional probability, or The Law of Large Numbers.
• F:
  • Read Chapter 14
  • Hand in Test II revisions, if you like.

• M:
  • Read Chapter 16
• W:
  • Review for Test III. See this review sheet.
  • Hand in HW11: 15.{28, 40}, 16.{12, 18}
• F:
  • Test III in class today. Don't forget your calculator!

• M:
  • Test III post-mortem.
  • Hand in ASE7 — please try to find one which mentions tests of significance, hypothesis testing, or p-value.
• W:
  • Read Chapter 18
  • Hand in Test III revisions, if you like.
• F:
  • Read Chapter 18

• M:
  • Hand in HW12: 18.{24, 26, 28, 42}
  • Read Chapter 20
• W:
  • Read Chapter 20
  • Hand in ASE8 — subject of your choice!
• F:
  • Review for final exam. See this review sheet.
  • Hand in HW13: 20.{12, 26, 28, 40}
  Today is also the last day to hand in any late work, even with Homework Late Passes.
  Please also hand in any unused Homework Late Passes you have left, for course extra credit.

• Exam week, no classes.
• Our [comprehensive] FINAL EXAM is Tuesday, April 28^th, 10:30am-12:50pm in our usual classroom. Don't forget to bring your calculator and page of formulæ — see the final review sheet for other information about the final!