Math 1280 Introduction To Statistics

MATH 1280: INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS

Course Description:

This course presents students with basic concepts in statistics and probability, and encourages statistical thinking. This course is intended to bring students to a level where they can carry out simple statistical analysis of simple data. Topics covered include descriptive statistics, probability, discrete and continuous random variables, the sampling distribution and the Central Limit Theorem. The R statistical programming environment is used for computation, graphical presentation, and simulations. The emphasis in the course is on the presentation of statistical methods and on the interpretation of the outcome. The philosophy of statistics, and not its mathematics, is at the center of this course; needed mathematical concepts are demonstrated via simulations rather than by abstract proofs.

Required Textbook and Materials:

The main required textbooks for this course are listed below and can be readily accessed using the provided links. There may be additional required/recommended readings, supplemental materials, or other resources and websites necessary for lessons; these will be provided for you in the course’s General Information and Forums area, and throughout the term via the weekly course Unit areas and the Learning Guides.

Software Requirements/Installation:

Students are required to download and install the R program on their own computer or on a USB portable storage device. Complete instructions are provided as an integral part of the course content and learning objectives regarding how to download, install and test the application.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Examine concepts of probability that are associated with statistics.
• Understand the basic forms of presenting and summarizing data.
• Recognize and interpret different forms of variability.
• Use the basic operation of the R program and carry out computations and produce plots associated with data and probability.

Course Schedule and Topics:

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 .

Week 1: Unit 1 – Introduction

Week 2: Unit 2 – Sampling and Data Structures

Week 3: Unit 3 – Descriptive Statistics

Week 4: Unit 4 – Probability

Week 5: Unit 5 – Random Variables

Week 6: Unit 6 – The Normal Random Variable

Week 7: Unit 7 – The Sampling Distribution

Week 8: Unit 8 – Overview and Integration

Week 9: Unit 9 – Final Exam