kradermath
MAT 141 (Statistics)
This page was updated on: May 4, 2018.
Course Schedule: Sec. 1F: M T W Th 12:00-12:50 pm Room 201D
Prerequisites: MAT 102 or MAT 105 or Math Placement Test
Course Outline:
- Part I: Getting the Information
- Data Collection (Ch. 1)
- Part II: Descriptive Statistics
- Organizing and Summarizing Data (Ch. 2)
- Numerically Summarizing Data (Ch. 3)
- Part III: Probability and Probability Distributions
- Probability (Ch. 5)
- Discrete Probability Distributions (Ch. 6)
- The Normal Probability Distribution (Ch. 7)
- Part IV: Inference: From Samples to Population
- Sampling Distributions (Ch. 8)
- Estimating the Value of a Parameter Using Confidence Intervals (Ch. 9)
- Hypothesis Tests Regarding a Parameter (Ch. 10)
- Inference on Two Samples (Ch. 11)
- Part V: Two-Variable Statistics
- Describing the Relation Between Two Variables (Ch. 4)
MyStatLab Access Code: krader65572
Important Announcements
Homework assignments, due dates and other announcements will be posted on the MyStatLab home page.
Homework Assignments and MyStatLab
Homework will be assigned for every section of the textbook that we cover in class. There will be two categories of homework assignments:
- "Basic" Homework Assignments- These assignments will be done online using MyStatLab. There will generally be one basic homework assignment for each section of the textbook that we cover in class. These assignments typically consist of multiple-choice or short-answer questions design to help you learn and practice basic skills.
- "In-Depth" Homework Assignments - Some in-depth assignments will be done online using MyStatLab, some will be written up and turned in on paper, and some will be a combination of both. An in-depth assignment may cover several sections of the textbook. Questions will often require more in-depth analytical and communication skills, both of which are extremely important in the practice of statistics.
MyStatLab is required to do the online exercises. To use MyStatLab you will need:
- A MyStatLab access code, included with new textbooks sold in the Morton College Bookstore. If you bought a textbook without a valid access code (e.g., a used textbook), you must purchase the access code separately in the Bookstore or online. Every student must have his/her own access code. If you are retaking this course with the same textbook and edition used in this class and you already have an access code, you do not need to buy another access code.
- A computer with internet access (you may use computers on campus if you do not have internet access at home) and an email address that you check daily. The College provides an email address for every student if you do not already have one.
You should set up a MyStatLab account on the first day of class in order to access the online textbook and begin the homework assignments. The Homework Assignments handout (see below) contains information about setting up a MyStatLab account and doing the homework online.
Homework Due Dates - Due dates will be posted on MyStatLab (except for "paper-and-pencil" assignments, whose due dates will be announced in class). Pay attention to due dates! On basic homework assignments, you will receive half-credit for any question that you work or rework after the due date. In-depth homework assignments will not be accepted at all after the due date.
Click here to access MyStatLab.
For more information about homework, including grading policies and an introduction to MyStatLab, download the "Homework Assignments" document on this page.
MyStatLab Temporary Access Codes: If you are waiting for financial aid and cannot purchase an access code on the first day of class, click here to learn how to set up temporary access that will allow you to read the online textbook and begin your coursework on the first day of class so you do not fall behind. Temporary access expires in 14 days. At the end of the 14-day period, you must pay for full access to continue using MyStatLab.
Course Documentation
Handouts and Other Documentation for:
Chapter 2 (Summarizing Data in Tables and Graphs)
Chapter 3 (Numerically Summarizing Data)
Chapter 6 (Discrete Probability Distributions)
Chapter 7 (The Normal Probability Distribution)
Chapter 8 (Sampling Distributions)
Chapter 9 (Estimating the Value of a Parameter)
Chapter 10 (Hypothesis Tests Regarding a Parameter)
Chapter 11 (Inference on Two Samples)
Chapter 4 (Describing the Relations between Two Variables)
Exam Information
Exam 3 - Monday, May 7, in class
Topics: Sections 7.1 and 7.2, Chapters 8 and 9.
Final Exam - Thursday, May 17, 12:00-1:45 pm
Topics: The entire course.
Data Sets
The following data sets will be used at various points in the course.
An Excel spreadsheet version of this file is available on MyStatLab (click "Documents" on the left sidebar of the course homepage.
Interactive Demonstrations
Links to some of the demonstrations used in class ... and more. (NOTE: Some of these demonstrations require Java.)
- How Inferential Statistics relies on probability (sample-size demo)
- Sampling Distributions and the Central Limit Theorem
- Student's t-Distribution
- Other simulations from the Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics
- Other Rossman-Chance applets (some used in class)
Other Links
Access to all online homework assignments, as well as multimedia instructional material (e.g., videos and animations) and an on-line copy of the textbook. Click here to find out how to get help for MyStatLab.
SmarThinking (Pearson Education Tutoring)
Professional tutors provide 24x7 tutoring online. This is a fee-based service ($35/hour, $120/4 hours). See the SmarThinking website for more information.
Do you need to buy a calculator? Do you have questions about using your calculator? This web site compares the various TI 83/83+ and 84/84+ graphing calculators and provides links to other web sites that will help you learn how to use your graphing calculator. You may also click here to download TI Connect software, which allows you to connect your calculator to your computer (e.g., to capture screen images or download data sets and software to your calculator).
This web site has links to a wealth of statistical data from Albania to Zambia. There are also links to US government websites that collect and analyze data, such as the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
Data and studies compiled by federal and local agencies.
Information about the processes used in the US and Canada for counting the population and how each country uses sampling to collect more detailed information about their populations. Look at the forms used in each country and see if you can identify questions that might result in biased results. Also read about Canada's use of a voluntary form to collect more detailed information and how that could lead to biased results.
Home page for statistical data compiled by more than 100 agencies of the federal government.
The GSS collects data to monitor societal change within the United States and to compare the United States to other nations.
A fascinating web site that contains detailed statistics, charts and maps for countries around the world.
Polling Organizations
Links to a number of prominent polling organizations.
Dave Thiel, a math teacher in Las Vegas (a city built on probability and statistics), put together this web site that describes the probabilities of various casino games, including roulette, slot machines, video poker and others.
Some Internet Tools for Statistics
This web page, set up by a professor at the University of Iowa, contains links to a variety of statistical tools, simulations and demonstrations.
(Updated 01/31/2014). A statistics course developed for public television. There are two sets of videos. The original course, produced in the 1980s (and available online through June 2014) consists of 26 half-hour programs (videos 33-58). A more recent version of the course consists of 32 shorter (6-14 minute) videos (Videos 1-32). The videos describe the mathematics behind statistics and they illustrate a wide variety of real-world applications. Excerpts from this series may be shown periodically in class.
Lots of interesting data about our world in graphical form. Topics include population, health, food, energy, environment, technology, growth and inequality, work and life, public sector, global connections, war and peace, politics, violence and rights, education, media and culture.