Stat 1040 -- Introduction to Statistics
Spring 1999
Section 8: 2:30-3:20 M W F
B-318

Instructor:
Michael Minnotte
201-C Lund Hall
797-2844
minnotte@math.usu.edu.

Office Hours:
TH 10:00 - 11:30 or by appointment.

Textbook:
Statistics by Freedman, Pisani and Purves, Third Edition (Norton, 1991).

Also Recommended:
Bound packet of copies of my transparency slides, available at Copy Center 3, in the TSC.

Topics:
Design of experiments: controlled experiments and observational studies
Descriptive statistics: histograms, the average, the standard deviation
The normal approximation for data
Correlation and regression
Brief introduction to probability
The law of averages, the central limit theorem
Sample surveys, chance errors in sampling
Chance models: examples
Tests of significance
Use and misuse of statistical graphics

Quizzes:
Every Friday (except Feb. 19 and Apr. 9, the midterms), the first 10 minutes of class will consist of a brief quiz on the material up to that covered the previous Wednesday. These quizzes will consist of two questions. Usually, one question will be a fairly straightforward calculation, while the other will generally be more conceptual, generally requiring a short answer of several sentences. These will be open-book, open-note, but will be limited to 10 minutes. You should prepare for these by doing the exercises from the book. Calculators may be necessary. Each quiz will be graded out of 20 points. No make-ups will be permitted, but at the end of the semester, your lowest score will be dropped.

Midterms:
Be prepared to show picture ID at all exams. The midterms and the final exam will be closed book and calculators are required. Exam policy is no makeups unless you have a very good reason and notify the instructor in advance that you will not be able to attend a scheduled exam. 

First Midterm: 		 Chapters 1-12 (inclusive) 		 Friday, February 19, in class 
Second Midterm: 	 Chapters 13-23 (inclusive) 		 Friday, April 9, in class
Final Examination:
There is a common final exam for all sections of Stat 1040. The exam will be on Monday, May 3, from 3:30 pm to 5:20 pm. This test may NOT be taken early or late and no make-ups will be permitted. If you have ANY problem with the day or time the final exam in scheduled, you should consider dropping the course and taking it another semester.

I will announce the room for the final exam in the last week of class, and it will be posted in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. You may be taking the final in a room other than the regular classroom.

Other Scheduling:
Please be aware that after the President's Day holiday on Monday, February 15, we will meet on Tuesday, February 16 at the usual time (as will all other Monday classes).

Grades:
Your grade will be calculated as 20% quizzes, 20% each midterm, and 40% final exam. If you would like me to post your grade outside my office after it has been calculated, you must turn in (no later than the last day of class) a signed statement giving me permission to do so, and including a code to identify you.

Tutoring Labs:
Tutors are available in Geology 421, from 4:30 to 5:30 Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and from 1:30 to 2:30 Wednesday. They will answer questions and help explain difficult points in the text. Tutoring will begin Tuesday, January 19.

Reading and Exercises:
Each week, you are expected to read 2-3 chapters from the book. This material will be discussed in the lectures. Homeworks will not be collected, but part of your reading responsibility is doing the exercise sets at the end of each section and at least some of the review questions at the end of each chapter. Your ability to do these is a measure of your understanding of what you have read. A suggested reading program for each chapter is as follows:
1. Read the summary at the end of the chapter, taking careful notice of the key words which are in itallic type.
2. Read the entire chapter without looking at the exercise sets, but paying attention to the key words. This much, at least, you should do before the lecture on a given chapter. The remaining steps you should try before the lecture, but may need to wait until after the lecture to complete.
3. Reread the chapter, this time doing the exercise sets. Whenever necessary, look back at the chapter to find the ideas that will help you to do the exercises. Check your answers against those in the back of the book when you have finished a problem. Do not get in the habit of looking at the answers before you attempt the problems!
4. Work the review problems suggested below. These will generally be more challenging than the exercise set problems. If you are not yet comfortable with the material, you may want to look at some of the remaining problems as well.
5. Reread the summary to make sure you now understand the key words.

  Chapter Suggested Review Problems   Chapter Suggested Review Problems
Part I 2 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,11,12 Part V 16 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,10
Part II 3 1,3,4,7,8,9,10,12   17 1,2,3,5,6,8,9,12
  4 1,2,3,6,7,9,10   18 1,2,3,5,7,8,9,10,12,13,14
  5 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,11 Part VI 19 1,2,3,4,5,6,12
  6 1,3,4,5   20 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,12
Part III 8 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,11   21 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,11,14
  9 1,2,6,7,9,11,12   22 1,2,7,8,12
  10 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10   23 1,2,3,4,5,7,10,12
  11 1,3,4,5,7,9,11 Part VII 24 1,3,4,5,6,9,10,11
  12 1,3,5,6,8,9,10   25 2,5
Part IV 13 2,4,5,6,7,8,10,12 Part VIII 26 1,2,4,6,8,9,11
  14 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12   27 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,10
  15 1,2,3,4,5,8   28 1,2,3,5,7,8
        29 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,10,12

Disability Policy:
If a student has a disability that will likely require some accomodation by the instructor, the student must contact the instructor and document the disability through the Disability Resource Center, preferably during the first week of the course. Any requests for special considerations relating to attendance, pedagogy, taking of examinations, etc. must be discussed with and approved by the instructor. In cooperation with the Disability Resource Center, course materials can be provided in alternative formats - large print, audio, diskette or Braille. The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.


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Last updated: January 12, 1999