Math. 114 - Spring 2003

Elements of Statistics

Special messages	Exams
Homework	Final

INSTRUCTOR	Prof. Mario Borelli
OFFICE(S)	Room 116 Hayes Healy; Tel 1-7334
OFFICE HOURS	Mon., Wedn. 2:00 - 4:00 PMor by appointment. Unless traveling I am usually in my office daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Feel free to show up at any time If I am in I will not chase you away, but it is advisable to call first and make sure I am in.
TEXTBOOK	M. Aliaga & B. Gunderson, "Interactive Statistics," Second Edition, Prentice Hall. The instructor uses Macintosh software (Microsoft Word, Hypercard), you may have to do some conversion, or use the Macintosh machines available in the clusters.
Web URL	http://www.nd.edu/~mario/classes/math114/
NDAccess path:	NDAccess/coursesp.03/math/math114.01/dropbox/EVERYBODY (Please copy any file to your hard disk before use.)
PREREQUISITES	A working knowledge of High School Algebra, a willingness to become a more astute consumer. Course is strictly for the non-specialist, but class participation, in the form of contributing to discussions, offering suggestions, asking questions, is required (five percent of final grade.) What will NOT be tolerated is the passive, confrontational attitude: "here I am, teach me!" LEARNING IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT!!

COURSE DESCRIPTION. The course is intended for those students who may or may not plan to use statistics in their careers, but wish nevertheless to become informed and more astute consumers. The methodology will focus on a "hands-on" approach, with rather heavy use of computer simulation and representation. Care will be exercised to select a variety of situations, from the meny fields where Statistics is used in today's society. Examples will be taken from Biology, Medicine, the Social Sciences, Psychology, Economics, gambling, shopping, investing, etc.

Topics include hypothesis testing, sampling, experimental design, density functions, confidence intervals, regression lines, covariance, some elementary probability if time permits. It is hoped that the first ten (10) chapters of the texbook will be covered.

TEAMS

Learning is enhanced by the exchange and discussion of ideas. The class will be divided into "teams" of three students each, as performed by the students' random choices on the first day of class. In the case of first day absences the instructor will assign students to teams, so that at most one team will consist of fewer than three members.

HOMEWORK

The instructor requires all of you to work in teams. If only one member of a team does all the work, the slackers show up in the first exam, while if all members contribute to the best of their ability, the whole team membership does better. Homework will be listed on this web site, together with its due date. The instructor allows and indeed encourages cooperation and sharing of learning, both among members of a team and among teams. Only one homework will be handed in for each team, properly identified.

GRADING	Homework	10 .%
	Class Exams 3, @ 20%	60 .%
	Final Examination	25 .%
	Class Participation	05 ..%
	TOTAL	100
	The breakpoints determining the correspondence between numerical and letter grades are not specified at this time. The one guaranteed fact is that a numerical grade of 55% or more of the maximum possible score is a passing grade (D or higher) The class will not be graded on a curve, the instructor being perfectly willing to either pass all students with an A (the instructor's dream) or to give no grade higher than a D, if the situation warrants it.
ATTENDANCE	Once the instructor has learned most of the students' names, an attendance sheet will be circulated on every class day. While attendance may not be mandatory, an excessive ( >= 5 ) number of unexcused absences will result, at the instructor's discretion and after prior written warning, in a considerable lowering of the final grade
EXAMS & QUIZZES	Examinations will be conducted according to the standards of the University's Honor Code. No team work allowed here! The instructor may occasionally be present to answer questions, not to act as a proctor. Unannounced quizzes may be given on any class day (this is unlikely, unless the instructor notices an appreciable increase in absences or tardiness.)