Stats 110A Syllabus
Spring 2002
Robert Gould
Phone: 310-206-3381
email: rgould@stat.ucla.edu
office: 9410 Boelter Hall
(Warning: this is difficult to find. See web page for directions.)
http://www.stat.ucla.edu/~rgould
Office Hours: Wednesday, 11am, Friday 1:30pm. Or by appointment.
TA: Jason Lenderman
email: jasonl@stat.ucla.edu
office
Office Hours
Text: Petruccelli, Nandram, Chen Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists.
Software: R. R is freeware and runs on unix, Mac, and PC platforms. You can download it for home use at www.r-project.com. You are welcome to use any software for your homework (except for Excel), but it is assumed that you are using R. If you are not, you are on your own as far as getting help and instruction goes. R is basically the same bit of software as Splus, so if you want additional guidance, any book about Splus (the bookstore carries several, as does amazon.com), will help you. There is also a user’s manual on-line at the same web page.
About this course
This is the first of a two-quarter sequence. It covers much of the material in the Stats 100AB sequence (Mathematical Statistics) but is more concerned with application than theory. Statistics has a wide range of applications, and there is considerable ‘craft-lore’ that goes well beyond what one can learn from a purely mathematical study of the subject. There are a variety of definitions that attempt to describe the discipline of Statistics. Some call it “numbers with context”, others call it “data science”. And there are many others. The truth is that Statistics is a hybrid of science (both social and natural) and mathematics. It is primarily (but not exclusively) engaged with the problem of inference -- making conclusions about large populations based on observations of only part of the population. The basic, “big question” is “how can we get knowledge from observations of the natural world?”
Grades
Your grade will be based on
1) Homework
Homework will be turned in every Friday and will count for 10% of your grade. Late homework will not be accepted for any reason and will be scored a 0; so if you know you are going to miss a Friday, turn it in early. “Late” means after 11pm on Friday. I will drop the lowest homework score, and so if you are sick or need to miss a week, this is probably the score that will be dropped.
To receive full credit, homework solutions must be written out neatly and in full. You are graded on your explanation and justification; not solely on having the correct numerical solutions. You may work with a partner or in a small group, but all work you turn in should be your own. Copying others’ solutions is not acceptable and will result in disciplinary action.
If you do not know why your homework received the grade that it did, please talk to either me or the TA. Homework is intended to be part of the learning process; you should not feel “judged” because you cannot do a problem or do not understand something. Use the homework to help you understand what part of the subject matter you do not yet understand, and ASK QUESTIONS. (Note: homework is most effective if done early.)
2) A midterm
There will be only one midterm on Friday, May 3. (Week 5)
3) Quizzes
There will be short quizzes every Friday that will be inspired by the homework. (There will be no quiz on the day of the midterm.) I will drop the two lowest quiz scores.
4) Final Exam
The final exam is scheduled for 8am, Friday, June 14. That is the only date the exam will be offered. Do not buy plane tickets to fly home (or anywhere else) before that date. Many students ask to take the final exam early, but due to my own schedule this request is impossible for me to grant this year. So please plan to be here then.
Doing the Numbers
Your final grade will be based on whichever of these formulas gives you the highest scores:
1) 10% homework, 15% quizzes, 30 % midterm, 45% final
2) 10% homework, 15% quizzes, 35% midterm, 40% final
How to Succeed in this Class
The mechanics of Statistics is not too hard, and much of the math is fairly straight-forward. However, Statistics requires a certain mind-set that for some people is very unusual and unfamiliar. Once you “get it”, many students say that the class becomes much easier. But to “get it” takes time. We have only 10 short weeks, and so the best advice I can give you is to read the book before class, ask questions in class and in office hours, do the homework, and STAY ON TOP OF THE MATERIAL.
This class builds on itself. If you don’t understand today’s topic, then tomorrow’s topic will be even more difficult. So if you wait until the end of the week to resolve some confusion, you might miss out on an entire week.
One final note: many people think that to do well in this class they need to get the right answer. However, a goal of this class it to teach you to think critically about how numbers are used to make decisions, to describe phenomenon and to do science. For that reason, I’m interested in knowing what you think, and not what the right answer is. Some of the problems will be open ended with no single correct answer. This does not mean that any answer is acceptable, but it does mean that two well-supported arguments with different conclusions might be each be acceptable.