"The investigation of mathematical truths accustoms the mind to method and correctness in reasoning, and is an employment peculiarly worth of rational beings." -- (George Washington, 1732-1799)

Math History Tidbit:

Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806): An African-American with tremendous mathematical abilities, Banneker lived during a period of United States history when a struggling country had little interest in scholarly pursuits. Banneker was a problem solver and developed considerable skills in the areas of astronomy and surveying. President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson both knew Banneker, and made use of his work. Born in Maryland to a former slave, Banneker sent a letter to Jefferson, a slave owner, criticizing slavery.

 

Herkimer's Corner

When Herkimer was a waiter, what did he say to the customer who complained about the mud in his coffee?

Answer: What do you expect? It was just ground this morning."

Herky's friends:

RHODA HORSE... a jockey.

PERRY NOID ... this guy gets frightened quite easily.

ASSIGNMENT #31

Assignment due after the test on Chapter 4.

Reading: Section 5.2, pages 265-283, including SUMMARY on pages 283-284.

Exercises: None. Concentrate on the reading and the terminology introduced in this section. We will be working on problems during the class period.

Items for reflection:

You are in Section 5.2

Important words/phrases/thoughts introduced inSection 5.1 are in black. Those in Section 5.2 in are blue. Thereis a bit of overlap, as you will note. These words and phrases shouldbe familiar to you. After reading Sections 5.1 and 5.2, you shouldnot draw a mental blank when you encounter them.

sampling

voluntary response sample

experiment

confounding

statistical inference

population

sample, sample design

convenience sampling

simple random sample (SRS)

table of random digits

probability sample

stratified random sample, strata

multistage sample design

undercoverage

nonresponse

response bias

wording of questions

observational study

experiment

experimental units

subjects

treatment

placebo effect

control group

bias

matching

randomization

completely randomized

statistically significant

hidden bias

PRINCIPLES OF EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: 1. Control ... 2. Randomization ... 3. Replication

double-blind experiment

block design

matched pairs design

lack of realism

probability model

LINK TO SECTIONSUMMARIES

LINK TO STATISTICS HOMEPAGE

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Text:
The Practice of Statistics, by Yates, Moore, McCabe. New York,W.H. Freeman and Company, 1999. (ISBN 0-7167-3370-6)

Supplemental books:
The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, by Gonick and Smith. NewYork, HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. (ISBN 0-06-273102-5)
How to Lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff. New York, W.W.Norton & Company, 1982 (ISBN 0-393-09426-X)

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