Honors Applied Statistical Methods
STAT 1000

Fall 2009, Mon.Wed.Fri. 12:00 in CL 204 CRN 17542, 4 credits [recitations CRN 17544 in CL 227 or CL 435]
Department of Statistics
University of Pittsburgh


Instructor	Dr. Nancy Pfenning
Office	Cathedral 2710
Website	www.pitt.edu/~nancyp/stat-1000/index.html
E-mail	nancypfenning@gmail.com
	521-8349 (home, if urgent, before 10pm)
	624-8336 (during office hours)
Office Hrs.	Thurs. 10:00-11:45 and 1:00 to 2:00 or by appt.
Stat Lab	435 CL (take stairs up from Bigelow side of Cathedral). For hours of operation and names of TAs on staff, see schedule but avoid times when it's been reserved (scroll down to their calendar).
Course Assistant	Andrew Althouse ada25@pitt.edu Office Hours Wednesdays 2:00-3:00 in CL 2617
Tutors	Contact the Academic Resource Center 648-7920 for free tutoring by undergrads or visit their website or see their weekly schedule and click on "Statistics" for information on both drop-in and appointment hours.

News

Link to number sense activity

November 08 Practice Final handed out in class; here are the solutions

11/09 Practice Midterm 2 handed out in class; see solutions .

Midterm 1 grades averaged 117/150=78%; see solutions .

Practice Midterm 1handed out in class; see solutions .

Monday, October 12 is Fall Break and no classes meet that day. Instead, all Monday classes are shifted to Tuesday, October 13 and classes for Tuesday are cancelled that week.

Seminar Topics

Powerpoint Lecture Slides

Practice Quizzes and Solutions

Student Survey data: survey9-21-03.txt. a tab-delimited text file, is now available;

normal populations (n=1000, n=150, n=100) for activity on sampling without replacment

To download it into MINITAB, type ctrl A to highlight, ctrl C to copy, start up MINITAB, type ctrl V to paste it. If it asks about delimiters, click OK.

MINITAB is available at all campus computing labs, such as Cathedral, Forbes Quad, Benedum, and of course the Stat Lab. If in addition you would like to have MINITAB on your PC, Pitt's Software Licensing Service at 105 Bellefield Hall (behind Heinz Chapel) is now offering MINITAB CDs for only $5 a copy (be sure to have your student ID with you)! Otherwise, a free fully functional demo can be downloaded from www.minitab.com BUT it will only run for 30 days, so consider waiting until later in the semester!

Recitations on the following dates: Sep.3, Oct.15, Oct.22, Oct.29, Nov.5, Nov.12, Nov.19, Dec.3 will be held in the Stat Lab 435 CL (enter on Bigelow side of Cathedral, take steps up to 4th floor) or may move to the Stat Lab after meeting in the regular classroom, if any of the day's seminars involve PowerPoint.

Handout in recitation on MINITAB Basics to be used as a reference for all MINITAB work.

Description

This course is an intensive introduction to statistical methods which stresses the development of critical thinking skills and increased awareness of how these methods are applied in a variety of disciplines. It is designed for students who want to do data analysis and to study further ideas in applied statistics beyond this course. Students are encouraged to investigate applications in their own major or areas of personal interest. The topics covered include descriptive statistics, elementary probability, random sampling, controlled experiments, hypothesis testing, regression, chi-square, and the analysis of variance. In addition, students will be exposed to more advanced topics in modern statistical practice. Emphasis will be placed on the statistical reasoning underlying the methods. Students will also become proficient at the use of a statistical software package, MINITAB.

Attendance

Mandatory for all recitations. Up to 3 absences tolerated for lectures.

Prerequisites

MATH 0031 (Algebra) or equivalent. No Comp. Sci. background needed.

Requirements

Homework assignments , computer lab problems, quizzes, two midterms, and a comprehensive final exam.

Grading

13 Homeworks	300
12 Lab (Software) Problems	50
2 Seminar Presentations	50
Midterm 1	150
Midterm 2	150
Final Exam	300
Total	1000

Course Grade

90-100% A; 80-89% B; etc. Plusses are assigned to the students at the top of each grade range and minuses to the students at the bottom. None of us can know in advance if an individual student will be a "borderline case"; doing your best throughout the semester can help you to optimize your chances for the best possible grade.

Textbook

Pfenning's Statistics: Looking at the Big Picture (Manuscript to be pubished by CENGAGE Learning, revised for use in Honors Stat 1000.) A calculator is needed; any kind will do.

Recitations

Thursday, 12:00-12:50 CL 227 or CL 435 [CRN 17544]

Recitations will used for seminar-style presentations featuring either applications of statistical methods in current media or research reports or student-led activities to aid in understanding principles of sampling and random behavior. Sign up with me in class or via Blackboard

Note: The material in this course is cumulative in nature. Thus, it is important not to fall behind in your reading or assignments or you will find yourself lost. If you are confused, see me or our course assistant for help.

Note to Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services, 216 WPU (412) 648-7890, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course. See their website www.drs.pitt.edu

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Honors Applied Statistical Methods STAT 1000