Teacher: Fred Kral, Ph.D.
Email me: fkral
Call or text me: 415-857-KRAL (5725)
Call classroom: 415-339-9336 x111
Get info on homework and more: http://teach.kralsite.com or bitly kraltms [http://bit.ly/kraltms]
Course Description
This introduction to statistics focuses on the statistical thinking behind data gathering and interpretation. The four major parts of the course are (1) producing data: measurement, sampling and experimental design; (2) organizing data: graphs of distributions, describing distributions with statistics, mean, standard deviation, normal distributions, correlation and regression; (3) randomness: probability, simulation and expected values; and (4) inference: confidence intervals and statistical tests. Interwoven are important topics for numerical competence in our complex world such as real-world surveys, data ethics, government statistics and abuse of statistical inference. Statistical ideas and reasoning and their relevance are explored in a wide variety of fields such as medicine, education, environmental science, business, psychology, sports, politics, and entertainment.
Required text and supplemental materials
- Starnes, Daren S., Daniel S. Yates, and David S. Moore. Statistics Through Applications, Second Edition. New York: W. H. Freeman, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-1-4292-1974-7. Electronic format. Ordered by school. Required.
- http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/sta2e/. eBook access. Required.
- http://bcs.whfreeman.com/sta2e/. Supplemental website with interactive displays, data sets and case studies.
- Web searching, wikipedia.org and reputable websites. Strongly recommended.
- http://www.fedstats.gov/. Web site with government statistics. Supplemental.
- http://www.causeweb.org/wiki/chance/index.php/Main_Page. The online journal Chance News reviews current stories in the news that involve probability or statistical concepts and contains study questions. Supplemental.
- Texas Instruments TI-84 Graphing Calculator (Plus and Silver Editions are OK). TI-Nspire with a TI-84 faceplate is also acceptable (but slow to boot and drains batteries quickly). TI-83 is workable (but check with teacher first). Required.
- Laptop computer. Required.
- Microsoft Excel. Spreadsheet software, available on school computers. Supplemental.
- Rechargeable AAA batteries for the calculator and a battery charger (AA/AAA). Recommended.
- Organizer of paper: holes punched and not; Pencils (mechanical recommended).
Assessment
| Homework: timely completion of homework assignments. Assessed formally and informally. | 5 points per homework |
| Review homework: timely completion of representative problems in preparation for tests and exams. | 20 points per review |
| Quizzes: written and graphical solutions of problems similar to homework problems. | 50 points per quiz |
| Mid-Semester Tests: written and graphical solutions of problems from recent material. | 200 points per test |
| End-Semester Examinations: written and graphical solutions of problems from the whole semester (comprehensive). | 20% of course grade |
| In-Class work: positive energy and interest level during in-class work including discussion, working on investigations, and practice during class. Assessed informally. | 20 points per week |
| Commitment to learning: Taking on what is challenging to you, getting help, communicating with the teacher, engaging with the material, and documenting work in the notebook. Assessed informally. | 100 points per semester |
| Projects: quality and correctness of written and graphical results. | 100 points per project |
I encourage study groups. You may work with others (not just students) unless instructed otherwise as long as all of you contribute. It is wise to put the name of each contributing student on an assignment to avoid issues with plagiarism.
Come visit, text, or email as often as you like! – Fred
Please see the web site for other information including assignments.