MTH 117: Elementary Statistics

Professor: Dr. Sergio Fratarcangeli

Course Syllabus

For review purposes, here is the Final Exam from one year ago. You should be able to do all of the problems.
Warning: the absence of a particular topic on this test does not mean that it will not appear on your final.

Here is the last homework (not to be handed in). We will discuss it in class on Thursday, May 8:
p. 384-385 #9, 11, 13, 25, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39.
p. 394-396 #5a,c,d, 9, 11, 17, 19.

Here is the second installment of the homework assignment due Thursday, May 1:
p. 352 #6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 21.

The Final Exam will take place on Tuesday, May 13.

Here is the first installment of the next homework assignment due Thursday, May 1:
p. 339-341 #6, 8, 12, 23, 24.
Note that there will be more problems to come.

For review purposes, here is Test 2 from one year ago, and Test 2 from last semester. You should be able to do all of the problems.
Also, for practice on section 7-3, you should do the following homework problems (not to be handed in): p. 326-328 #9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 25, 29, 37.

Here is the next homework assignment due Thursday, April 10:
p. 313-315 # 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 34, 38, 42.

Here is the next homework assignment due Thursday, April 3:
p. 267 #8.
p. 275-278 #5, 6, 12, 20.

Here is the next homework assignment due Thursday, March 27:
p. 245-246 #10-20 (even), 38, 40.
p. 254-255 #6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 21.
Note: Tuesday, March 25 follows a Monday schedule. Hence, we will not meet on March 25.

Here are the answers for #7 on PracticeTest 1--this is the problem we didn't have time for today.
7a. Amy spends less time on her homework.
7b. Betsy is more consistent in the time she spends on her homework.
7c. It is NOT unusual for Amy to spend more than 60 minutes on her homework, since this corresponds to a z-score of 1 (for Amy).
7d. It is unusual for Betsy to spend fewer than 45 minutes on her homework, since this corresponds to a z-score of -2.25 (for Betsy).
7e. With a z-score of 1.5, Amy spends 66 minutes on her homework.
7f. With a z-score of 1.5, Betsy spends 75 minutes on her homework.

If you have questions on these or other problems, I will have my usual office hours and will be available by email.

For review purposes, here are Test 1 and Test 2 from last semester.
You should be able to do all of the problems EXCEPT for #4 and #5 on Test 2.

For more practice on recent material, you can do the following exercises: (not to be handed in)

Here is the next homework assignment due Thursday, February 28:
p. 204-206 #8, 14, 18.
p. 215 #6, 9, 10.

Test 1 will take place in class on Thursday, March 6.

Here is the next homework assignment due Thursday, February 21:
p. 147 #7, 8, 12, 13, 18.
p. 156-157 #8, 13-17, 20.
p. 172 #6, 8.

Here is one more set of homework problems due Thursday, February 14:
p. 117-118 #6, 8, 12, 14.
Don't forget the problems assigned on 2/05.

Note: There will be a quiz this week.

Here is the first installment of a homework assignment that will be due on Thursday, February 14:
p. 87-89 #10, 12, 14, 18.
p. 105-107 #10, 12, 14, 18.

Note: There will not be a quiz this week.

Important: Next class we'll meet at Focus the Nation in SCC.
It is your responsibility to do three things:
1. Make sure I see you for attendance.
2. Hand in your homework.
3. Pick up a take-home quiz due next Tuesday.

Do we really know what makes us healthy? is the title of a recent article from the New York Times Magazine.
This article explores why various studies of hormone-replacement therapy have yielded apparently opposite results!
In telling the story, the author explains various minefields in statistical epidemiology including:
healthy user bias, the bias of compliance, and the prescriber effect.

Here's a quote:

One [guiding principle] is to assume that the first report of an association is incorrect or meaningless, no matter how big that association might be. After all, it's the first claim in any scientific endeavor that is most likely to be wrong. Only after that report is made public will the authors have the opportunity to be informed by their peers of all the many ways that they might have simply misinterpreted what they saw. The regrettable reality, of course, is that it's this first report that is most newsworthy.

Reminder: Our first quiz will take place on Thursday, January 31.

Focus the Nation will be taking place on campus this Wednesday and Thursday. All students are encouraged to participate.

Here is the first homework assignment, to be handed in Thursday, January 31:

p. 10 #6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, 20.
p. 18-19 #6, 8, 11, 15.
p. 31-33 #6, 8, 9, 10, 11.

Note that the first weekly quiz will take place at the end of class on this date and that it will cover the material on this assignment.

Welcome to the webpage for MTH 117: Elementary Statistics. This is where important course announcements will appear.
The most recent post will always appear at the top.

The very first thing that you will need to know is the book we are using for the course.
It is Essentials of Statistics, third edition by Mario F. Triola.