ST 101

Section 001  For Mature, Motivated, Disciplined Students

WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW STATISTICS?
• Read This
• Watch This

Student Survival: Top Ten List of What to Know to Pass Introductory Statistics

Course Information and Syllabus

If a man will begin with certainties he will end with doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shallend in certainties. Francis Bacon, Advancement of Learning It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny. John Dewey If you don't believe in random sampling, the next time you have a blood test tell the doctor to take it all. Don't give up, don't ever give up! Jim Valvano, Arthur Ashe Courage Award address, March 4, 1993 Statistics myths this course will disprove: Myth1: "If I had one hour left to live, I would live it in statisticsclass because it would seem to last forever!" A student's lament Myth 2: "If it moves, it's biology; if it changes color, it'schemistry; if it breaks, it's physics; if it puts you to sleep, it's statistics. Bob Hogg, University of Iowa Myth 3: Math class is tough! Barbie's 1992 voice chip by Mattell

Instructor Thomas W. Reiland Home This course will be a hit....

Associate Professor of Statistics and Operations Research Department of Statistics 5278 SAS Hall Box 8203, Raleigh, NC 27695-8203 tel: (919) 515-1939 fax: (919) 515-7591 FedX: 2311 Stinson Dr., Room 5109 SAS Hall Email: reiland@stat.ncsu.edu Fall 2010 office hours: M W 2:00-3:00, F 1:45-2:45  ...and positively impact your future

Beginning of Semester

Fall 2010

"But where shall I begin?"asked Alice. "Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on till you come to the end; then stop."

Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

So, What Is (Are) Statistics?

Q: What is Statistics?

A: Statistics is a way of reasoning, along with a collection of tools and methods, to help us understand the world.

Q: What are statistics?

A: Statistics (plural) are particular calculations made from data.

Q: What are data?

A: Data (singular form is datum) are values along with their context.

"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time."

T.S. Eliot

Welcome to ST 101 Section 001!!

Our first class meeting will be 3:00-4:15 Wednesday, Aug. 18 in room 210 Harrelson Hall.

Throughout the semester we will meet in room 210 Harrelson Hall, M W, 3:00-4:15. Check Registration and Records now to be certain that you are enrolled in the class.

Course Description

ST 101 is NOT a math course. The central theme of the course is to help you learn to understand the world from data. "Beyond the formula" skills are emphasized. This course will require you to: think critically, be skeptical, think about variation (rather than just about the center), move beyond a "memorize the answer" approach, and think about conditional probabilities and rare events to make inferences from data. Some mathematical skill is required to work with elementary statistics, but mathematical manipulations will be replaced by relying on technology for the calculations and graphics; this will allow more emphasis to be placed on the "beyond the formula" skills mentioned above.

This course requires more intellectual effort than the low mathematical level suggests! It is related to every other course you may study. The course is elementary in mathematical level but conceptually rich in statistical ideas and serious in its aim to improve your data-analytic skills and your ability to apply statistical methods with understanding.

Goals: the course will enable you to

i) incorporate statistical thinking into your everyday lives;

ii) acquire the necessary data-gathering, data-analysis, and interpretation/communication expertise to meet the challenges of a more demanding cognitive global environment.

Dr. Reiland's office hours: T Th 2:00-3:00, F 1:45-2:45, 5278 SAS Hall.

Graduate Teaching Assistant: Information about the graduate teaching assistant will be posted at the beginning of the semester.