THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO

Department of Statistical & Actuarial Sciences

Statistical Sciences 024b: Basic Statistical Methods

Course Outline

Instructor: Dr. Z. Krougly, WSC 205, 661-2111 ext. 86985, zkrougly@stats.uwo.ca

Class Times:

Section 02: Tue 10:00 –12:00 a.m., Thu 10:00 –11:00 a.m. UC 204

Section 04: Tue 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. MC 105b

Office Hours: Tue 1:00-2:00 p.m. & 3:00-4.30 p.m., Wed 3:30-4:30 p.m. or by appointment.

Course Web Page: The URL given should be linked to

http://stats.uwo.ca/faculty/krougly/

Prerequisites: Any OAC or Grade 12U Mathematics or Mathematics 024a/b or 017a/b

Antirequisites: All other courses or half courses in Introductory Statistics, except Statistical Sciences 023a/b. You are responsible for ensuring that you have not taken an antirequisite course. De-registration may occur at any time if you lack a pre-requisite or have taken an anti-requisite course.

Textbook: The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd ed.), by David Moore.

A calculator is needed for tests and exams. However, you are not required to purchase a statistical calculator. Exams are constructed so that only basic mathematical functions are needed on your calculator.

Course Objective: The course provides an introduction to statistics, basic understanding of the techniques for exploring, organising and describing data, techniques for producing data through surveys and experiments, random behaviour, statistical inference, data analysis and statistical procedures, and its applications through numerous examples.

Course Description: Statistical Inference, experimental design, sampling design, confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for means and propositions, regression and correlation.

Evaluation: Two Term Tests 45% (22.5% each), Final Exam 55%.

Term Tests

There will be two multiple-choice (non- cumulative) tests. There will be no make up tests (for those that do legitimately miss a test and provide the required supporting documentation before or immediately after the test, the weight of that test will be required for the final exam). Students should bring non-programmable calculator to all tests. All tables needed and some formulas will be provided on tests, advance notification will be given about which formulas will be provided.

Date

Time

Location

Term test 1

February 7

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

WSC 240, WSC 55

Term test 2

March 13

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

WSC 240, WSC 55

 

Final Exam:

Topics Covered in the Textbook:

Approximate Weekly Schedule

Week

Date

Chapter

1

Jan 5 – Jan 9

Course Introduction, Displaying Distributions (Ch1)

2 - 3

Jan 12 – Jan 23

Describing Distributions, Normal Distributions (Ch2, Ch3)

4 -5

Jan 26 – Feb 6

Scatterplots, Correlation, Regression (Ch4, Ch5),
Test Review

Feb 7 (Sat)

MIDTERM EXAM

6 - 7

Feb 9 – Feb 20

Two-way Tables, Sampling, Experiments (Ch6, Ch7, Ch8)

8

Feb 23 – Feb 27

Conference Week

9-10

Mar 1 – Mar 12

Introducing Probability, Sampling Distributions, Confidence Intervals (Ch9, Ch10, Ch13), Test Review

 

Mar 13 (Sat)

MIDTERM EXAM

11

Mar 15 – Mar 19

Test of Significance, Inference in Practice (Ch14, Ch15)

12

Mar 22 – Mar 26

Inference for a Mean, Two Sample Problems (Ch16, Ch17)

13

Mar 29 – April 2

Inference for a Proportion, Comparing Two Proportions (Ch18, Ch19)

14

April 5 – April 7

REVIEW

Note: Some sections of some chapters indicated will not be covered. Some topics may be treated differently.

Attendance: The Department views classroom attendance as a very important part of the learning process. Students are advised that excessive absenteeism may result in the student being debarred from the final examination. Attendance will be taken periodically and used to adjudicate border line cases.

Classroom Environment: The Department has adopted a "Mutual Expectations" policy. See website's Undergraduate section: www.stats.uwo.ca.