SYLLABUS
MATH 115 - INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS
(Activity Format)

REVISED JULY 2005

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Description of data, binomial and normal distributions, estimation and testing hypotheses for means and proportions. Prerequisites: Two years high school algebra, one year of geometry and a satisfactory placement exam score.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The main objective of MATH 115 is to give the non-mathematical student an elementary introduction to the practice of statistics. This course will give insight into how a statistician gathers, summarizes, and draws conclusions from data. We are surrounded everyday by numerical information and graphical material. At the end of the course, the student should be a critical consumer of this information.

TEXT: Rossman, Allan J. and Chance, Beth L., Workshop Statistics, 2^nd Edition

CONTENT:

• UNIT I   EXPLORING DATA: DISTRIBUTIONS
• Topic 1: Data and Variables
• Topic 2: Data, Variables, and Technology
• Topic 3: Displaying and Describing Distributions
• Topic 4: Measures of Center
• Topic 5: Measures of Spread
  
  
• UNIT II   EXPLORING DATA: COMPARISONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
• Topic 6: Comparing Distributions I: Quantitative Variables
• Topic 7: Comparing Distributions II: Categorical Variables
• Topic 8: Graphical Displays of Association
• Topic 9: Correlation Coefficient
• Topic 10: Least Squares Regression I
• [Skip Topic 11]
  
  
• UNIT III   COLLECTING DATA
• Topic 12: Sampling
• Topic 13: Designing Studies
  
  
• UNIT IV   RANDOMNESS IN DATA
• Topic 14: Probability
• Topic 15: Normal Distributions

For the remainder of the course, we focus on sampling distributions and inference for proportions only.

• Topic 16: Sampling Distributions I: Proportions
• Topic 18: Central Limit Theorem
  
  
• UNIT V   INFERENCE FROM DATA: PRINCIPLES
• Topic 19: Confidence Intervals I: Proportions
• Topic 21: Tests of Significance I: Proportions (IF TIME ALLOWS)

SUGGESTED TIMETABLE FOR COVERAGE (ROSSMAN AND CHANCE) THROUGH TOPIC 19

WEEKS	CHAPTERS
1	Topics 1 and 2 (Data and Variables)
2	Topic 3 (Displaying and Describing Distributions)
3	Topics 4, 5 (Measures of Center and Spread)
4	Topic 6 (Comparing Distributions I:Ý Quantitative Variables)
5	Topic 7 (Comparing Distributions I:Ý Categorical Variables)
6	Review and Test 1
7	Topic 8 (Graphical Displays of Association)
8	Topic 9 ( Correlation Coefficient)
9	Topic 10 (Least Squares Regression I)
10	Topics 12, 13 (Collecting Data)
11	Review and Test 2
12	Topic 14 (Probability)
13	Topic 15 (Normal Distributions)
14	Topics 16, 17 (Sampling Distributions, CLT)
15	Topic 19 (Confidence Intervals ñ Proportions)
Final Exams Week	Test 3