Course Information

Course Information for Stat 3011
Spring Semester, 2000
MWF 10:10 - 11:00, Room: Civil Engineering 212

	Instructor:	L. Tierney, Ford Hall 385, 625-7843, luke@stat.umn.edu
	Office Hrs.:	MWF 2:30-3:20 or by appointment
	Text:	The Basic Practice of Statistics, 2nd Edition, by David S. Moore
	TA:	R. Lazar, lazar@stat.umn.edu
	Sections:	5 - T 10:10 - 11:00, Vincent Hall 113
		6 - T 12:20 - 1:10, Ford Hall 115

Books

The required book for the course is The Basic Practice of Statistics, 2nd Edition, by David S. Moore. This is an excellent book which covers all the material to be covered in class. It should be on reserve in the Mathematics Library on the third floor of Vincent Hall (go up the elevator or the South Stairs).

Problems from this book will be assigned throughout the semester as homework. Some of the problems will be graded for credit, others will not be graded but are just as important as the graded problems. Solutions to all the assigned problems, graded and not graded, will be on reserve in the Mathematics Library.

Course Outline

We will cover describing data and relationships, discrete and continuous random variables, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, 1- and 2-sample significance tests, comparisons, and a brief introduction to count data, simple linear regression, and 1- and 2-way analysis of variance.

This material is in Chapters 1 to 11 of the text which we will cover at at rate of approximately one chapter a week, with over a week for Chapters 5, 6, and 7.

Sections

You should be registered for one of two recitation sections. The sections provide opportunities for discussions and questions, worked examples, and going over homework problems. In addition, most weeks the TA will present some additional material on a topic not covered or only mentioned briefly in lectures.

If you missed the recitation session on January 18th, the first day of classes, you should be sure to read Chapter 1 carefully, particularly the section on stemplots and calculating medians and quartiles. Also do problem 1.31 and problem 1.32 on page 36.

The teaching assistant is Radu Lazar, lazar@stat.umn.edu. He will teach the recitation sections and answer questions related to the problems assigned. His office hours are to be announced. He will also put outline solutions to the problems on reserve in the Mathematics Library. Be sure to take your calculator to the recitation section.

You should attend the section to which you are assigned, unless the TA agrees to let you attend another section. You can make an arrangement with the TA to regularly attend a section other than the one for which you are registered. The limitation is the number of chairs and space in the room.

Assignments will be handed out in class and will also be posted on the web (go to the Statistics home page http://www.stat.umn.edu and then click on Courses).

Calculators and Computers

You will need a portable calculator for this class with functions for the mean and standard deviation and also for correlation and the least squares regression line.

In the Williamson bookstore there are a number of calculators that appear to have the required features, including Casio Scientific Calculator fx-115W Plus ($22.59), Texas Instruments BA II Plus ($27.99), or Sharp EL-733A ($29.95).

You may already own a calculator that will work, you need one that can do ``two-variable statistics'' (that is calculates correlation and a simple linear regression line). Most such calculators need the instruction booklet to use these features. Ask the TA if you have questions about this.

This course will not require the use of a statistical computer package but 3022, the next course in the sequence, will. If you have a statistical package, feel free to use it on the homework problems but keep in mind that it won't be available for the exams. Some pointers to free statistical packages are available on the course web page.

Work Load

In accordance with University guidelines, the workload for this 4-credit course should represent, for the average University of Minnesota undergraduate student, twelve hours of academic work per week (including lectures, recitations, study, homework, and so on), or approximately 180 hours of work over the course of the semester. Keep in mind that this is the average workload; some may find the course easier and need less time, but others may need to put in considerably more time to master the ideas.

Homework

There will be regular problem sets assigned every week. They will be due on Mondays at the beginning of class. They will be returned to you in the recitation section on Tuesday. For fairness and clarity there will be several rules about homework:

1.

No late homework will be accepted. See the Grading Policy section below for further details.

2.

Neither I nor the TA will answer any questions about homework on the Monday the homework is due. We will be happy to answer questions about it on Tuesdays (in recitation sections) and on Wednesdays (in class or office hours).

3.

Neither I nor the TA will answer questions, other than basic clarifications, about homework problems, graded or ungraded, before they are due. It is important for you to work the problems out for yourself, especially if you find them challenging. If you have difficulty with a problem you should go back to your lecture notes and the book and re-read and re-think what they say. Make sure you understand the examples. But few problems are just like a worked example from the text or class. Most require some synthesis of ideas and some independent thought. This process of practicing to apply the ideas from the lectures and text in specific contexts is the most important part of the course-this is where you really learn statistics!

4.

Homework solutions submitted for grading must be legible and neat. Your name must appear clearly and the pages should be stapled together. Do not hand in your first draft. Use sentences and explain your work. A correct numerical answer with no explanation will receive little credit.

5.

Some collaboration on homework is acceptable, and you are encouraged to discuss the homework with others in the class. But be wary of depending too much on others for help. Your write-ups must, however, represent your own work. Direct copying of someone else's work is not acceptable, nor is misrepresenting the work of others as your own.

Exams

There will be two midterm exams, tentatively scheduled for the class periods on Friday, February 25, and Friday, April 7. The final exam is scheduled for 1:30-3:30 on Saturday, May 13. Please make a note of these times and dates now, and inform me before the end of April if you have a conflict with the final exam. The final exam schedule for all your classes can be found on pages 270-271 of the spring quarter schedule. STAT classes are offered through Liberal Arts.

The midterm and final exams will be closed book, but you may bring one sheet of notes to the first midterm exam, two sheets to the second midterm exam, and three to the final exam. The sheets should be standard $8\frac{1}{2}\times11$ paper and may be written on both sides. You will also need a calculator for the exams. You may not share notes or calculators during exams.

There will be no makeup exams under any circumstances. If you have to miss a midterm exam for legitimate reasons, such as illness confirmed by a written medical excuse, your total exam grade will be based on the remaining midterm exam and the final exam. If you miss both midterm exams for legitimate reasons, then your total exam grade will be based entirely on the final exam.

The final exam will cover the material of the entire course. University regulations require that you take the final exam at the assigned time. If you cannot attend the final exam for legitimate reasons, you must provide written documentation to receive an incomplete (see the School of Statistics policy on incompletes described below). Otherwise, if you miss the final exam you will receive a failing grade for the course.

All work on exams must be entirely your own work. Any dishonesty during exams will lead to an automatic grade of F for the course. It is just as dishonest to give help as to receive it.

Grading Policy

 Your final grade will be based on weekly homework assignments (25%), two midterm exams (20% each), and a final exam (35%). Cutoffs will be no higher than 90% for an A-, 80% for a B-, 70% for a C-, and 60% for a D. Any score below 60% will result in a grade of F. Cutoffs may be slightly lower if exams are harder than expected, but will definitely not be any higher. (I will be happy to give everyone an A if everyone scores over 90%!)

To calculate your percentage on the homework, first drop the two lowest scores and then calculate a percentage. If the percentage is 80% or higher then round up to 100%. If you score between 75% and 80% round up to 90% and if you average less than 75% on the homework you will score your percentage.

This serves several purposes: first if you are sick and miss handing in an assignment on time you need not worry about it. (Remember late homework is not accepted.) Second if you choose not to discuss homework with others, or make a few mistakes on the homework, you will not be penalized. The homework problems are very important--the best way to learn statistics is to do it. The scoring system is designed to encourage you to do the homework and do well on it. I hope that everyone will get 100% for their homework!

Incompletes

It is School of Statistics policy only to give an ``I'' (incomplete) grade in cases of extreme hardship. Low homework or midterm grades are not adequate grounds for an incomplete. If your circumstances do warrant an incomplete, then you must agree in writing to the terms for making up the incomplete. If you do not complete the course in accordance with these terms, your grade will be changed to an F.

Handouts

Handouts will be made available on the course web page. You can find the course web page from the Statistics home page http://www.stat.umn.edu under Classes.

Contacting The Instructor

I will be available during office hours (MWF 2:30-3:20) or by appointment. If you need to leave me a message please send email to luke@stat.umn.edu. I am also happy to answer short questions by email, but I cannot answer long questions. You can reach me by telephone when I am in my office, but leaving voice mail is not useful as I do not check it regularly--use email instead.

Related Courses

The course 3011 is the first in a sequence of two courses. The course 3022 covers multiple regression, analysis of variance, and some categorical data analysis and nonparametric statistics. 3022 involves extensive work on data sets using a computer. A thorough understanding of the material from 3011 is essential for the successful completion of 3022.

The course 3091 (3021 under Semesters) has a large overlap with 3011 and may be used as a prerequisite for 3022. It has a calculus prerequisite.