College of the Holy Cross
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

• Syllabus
  
  
• Assignments:
  Unless noted otherwise, readings and assignments are from the course text.
  
  
  • #1: Due Friday, January 29. Read Chapters 1-4 and Do we really know what makes us healthy?, NY Times Magazine, September 16, 2007. Quiz #1 on Friday, January 29, covering Chapters 1-4 and the article by Gary Taubes.
    • Chapter 2 Review Exercises 5-11.
    • Chapter 3 Review Exercises 1-4, 6-8, 11.
    • Chapter 4 Review Exercises 1, 2, 4-6, 9, 10.
      
      
    • Links and Figures for Friday, January 22:
      • Arthroscopic Surgery is no better than placebo. The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, 2002.
      • Dementia Risk Seen in Players in N.F.L. Study. NY Times, September 29, 2009.
        
        
    • Links and Figures for Monday, January 25:
      • Boston Housing Costs for 1997 and 2008 in 1997 adjusted dollars.
      • Cross tabulation example Selected Characteristics of Families by Total Money Income in 2008.
      • Long right tail data Income Distribution to $250,000 or More for Families: 2008.
      • Histogram for 2008 Family Income.
        
        
    • Links and Figures for Wednesday, January 27:
      • Standard Normal Curve with (mean,SD) = (0,1).
      • Normal Curves with (mean,SD) = (0,1), (1,2), and (-1,3).
      • Normal Curves with (mean,SD) = (0,1), (10,5), and (20,3).
        
        
    • Quiz 1 Sample.
    • Quiz 1 Sample Solutions.
    
    
  • #2: Due Friday, February 5. Read Chapters 5, 6, and 7.
    • Chapter 5 Review Exercises: 1, 2, 3, 5-9.
    • Special Review Exercises (pp. 107-108): 13-15.
    • Chapter 7 Review Exercises from this link.
      
      
    • Links and Figures for Wednesday, February 3:
      • Health Care: Who knows best? Jerome Groopman, NYRB, February 11, 2010.
      • The Miracle of Vitamin D: Sound Science or Hype? Tara Parker-Pope, NYT Science Section, February 2, 2010.
      • MMR Vaccine and Autism, Wikipedia. WSJ on retraction of the principal article connecting the MMR Vaccine and Autism in the British medical journal, The Lancet.
        
        
  • #3: Due Friday, February 12. Read Chapters 8, 9, and 10. Quiz #2 on Friday, February 12, covering Chapters 5-9.
    
    • Chapter 8 Review Exercises: 1-3, 5, 7, and 8.
    • Chapter 9 Review Exercises: 7-11.
    • Chapter 10 Review Exercises: 2-5, 7-10.
      
      
    • Figures for Monday, February 8:
      • 68% Regions for 2007 car weight/MPG data.
      • 68% Regions and SD Line for 2007 car weight/MPG data.
      • SD Line for 2007 car weight/MPG data.
      • SD Line and points of average for 2007 car weight/MPG data.
      • Regression line, SD Line and points of average for 2007 car weight/MPG data.
      • Regression line, SD Line and data for 2007 car weight/MPG data.
        
        
      • Regression line, SD Line and data for first-second test grade data.
        
        
    • Quiz 2 Sample.
    • Quiz 2 Sample Solutions.
      
      
  • First Hour Exam Thursday, February 18. 8-9:30 PM, Swords 321. Covers Chapters 1-5, 7-10 of the text and Do we really know what makes us healthy?, NY Times Magazine, September 16, 2007. Review Session Tuesday, February 16, 8-9:30 PM, Swords 302.
    
    
    • Test 1 Sample and Scatter Plot.
    • Test 1 Sample Solutions.
      
      
  • #4: Due Friday, February 26.
    • Chapter 11 Review Exercises: 1-5, 7, 9.
    • Chapter 12 Review Exercises: 4, 7, 8, 9.
    • Chapter 13 Review Exercises: 2-10.
    • Chapter 14 Review Exercises: 1-3, 5, 7-9, 11.
      
      
    • Links and Figures for Monday, February 15:
      • Looking for a Date? A Site Suggests You Check the Data, NYT, Friday, February 12.
      • Results Unproven, Robotic Surgery Wins Converts, NYT, Sunday, February 14.
        
        
      • Regression line for test-retest data.
      • Test-retest data and residual plot.
      • 78% of residuals.
      • 68% of residuals.
      • 68% of data.
        
        
    • Links and Figures for Friday, February 26:
      • The Monty Hall Game from UCSD.
        
        
  • #5: Due Friday, March 12. Read Chapters 15 and 16. Quiz #3, Friday, March 12, covering Chapters 11-16.
    • Chapter 15 Review Exercises: 1-3, 5, 8, 9.
    • Chapter 16 Review Exercises: 1-10.
      
      
    • Quiz 3 Sample.
    • Quiz 3 Sample Solutions.
      
      
    • Links and Figures for Wednesday, March 10:
      • Roulette for Fun, on-line roulette (no betting!)
        
        
  • #6: Due Friday, March 19. Read Chapters 17 and 18.
    • Chapter 17 Review Exercises: 1, 2, 4-12.
    • Chapter 18 Review Exercises: 1-11.
      
      
    • Figures for Monday, March 15:
      
      
      • Probability Histograms for tossing a coin (= sum of draws from a 0-1 box).
        • 3 times.
        • 10 times.
        • 25 times.
        • 50 times.
        • 3, 10, 25, and 50 times.
          
          
      • Histograms for 50 randomly generated draws from a 0-1 box and combined with the probability histogram for 50 draws.:
        • Histogram for 10 trials of 50 draws.
        • Combined histogram for 10 trials of 50 draws and probability histogram for 50 draws.
          
          
        • Histogram for 100 trials of 50 draws.
        • Combined histogram for 100 trials of 50 draws and probability histogram for 50 draws.
          
          
        • Histogram for 10,000 trials of 50 draws.
        • Combined histogram for 10,000 trials of 50 draws and probability histogram for 50 draws.
          
          
  • #7: Due Friday, March 26. Read Chapters 19, 20, and 21. Quiz #4, Friday, March 26, covering Chapters 17-21.
    • Chapter 19 Review Exercises: 1, 2, 6, 7.
    • Chapter 20 Review Exercises: 3, 5, 6, 7, 11.
    • Chapter 21 Review Exercises: 2-6, 8, 11, 13, 15.
      
      
    • Quiz 4 Sample.
    • Quiz 4 Sample Solutions.
      
      
    • Links and Figures for Friday, March 26:
      • Survey Methodology of the Current Population Survey. (See Chapter 3, starts on page 20.)
      • Wikipedia on quota sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, and multistage sampling.
        
        
      • Odds are: It's Wrong, from Science News, March 27, 2010.
        
        
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  • Second Hour Exam Thursday, April 8, 8:00-9:30 PM, 302 Swords. Covers Chapter 11-21 of the text. Review Session, Tuesday, April 6, 8:00-9:30 PM, 321 Swords
    
    
    • Test 2 Sample. (This sample test did not cover Chapter 21, so there are no questions on confidence intervals. Chapter 21 is on this semest s exam.)
    • Test 2 Sample Solutions.
      
      
  • #8: Due Friday, April 16. Read Chapters 22, 23 and 24.
    • Chapter 22 Review Exercises: 1, 3, 5-7, 10-12.
    • Chapter 23 Review Exercises: 1-5, 7,8, 10.
    • Chapter 24 Review Exercises: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9.
      
      
  • Links and Figures for Wednesday, April 14:
    • Mendel's Peas.
      
      
  • #9: Due Friday, April 23. Read Chapters 25, 26, and 27. Quiz #5, Friday, April 23, covering Chapters 22, 23, 24, and 26.
    • Chapter 26 Review Exercises: 2-7.
      
      
    • Quiz 5 Sample.
    • Quiz 5 Sample Solutions.
      
      
  • #10: Due Monday, May 3. Read Chapters 27, 28, and 29. Quiz #6, Monday, May 3.
    • Chapter 27 Review Exercises: 2-8.
    • Chapter 28 Review Exercises: 1-3, 5, 9, 10.
    • Chapter 29 Review Exercises: 1-3, 8,9.
      
      
    • SDA Assignment (with complete instructions for submitting the assignment).
      You will need the following link: Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA)
    
    
    • Quiz 6 Sample.
    • Quiz 6 Sample Solutions.
      
      
  • Final Exam: Thursday, May 13, 2:30-5:30 PM, Swords 359.
    
    
    • Final Sample.
    • Final Solutions.
      
      

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  • Interesting Links
    
    
  • Stats texts/glossaries:
    • Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics from Rice University.
      
    • Statistics for the Terrified: Glossary from Concept Stew Ltd. of the UK.
      
      
  • Data Sources:
    • Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA) from the University of California Berkeley. (Web based analysis of survey data.)
      
    • StatLib--Datasets Archive from Carnegie Mellon University
      
    • StatLib--JASA Data Archive from Carnegie Mellon University
      
    • Kaiser Family Foundation Home Page
      
    • Population Reference Bureau Home Page
      
      
  • US Government Data Sources:
    • US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Calculator
      
    • US Census Bureau Home Page
      
    • Current Population Survey Home Page
      
    • Source and Accuracy of Estimates for Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage
      
    • Bureau of Labor Statistics Home Page
      
    • Center for Disease Control and Prevention Data and Statistics.
      
    • Federal Highway Administration Home Page
      
    • Global Change Master Directory geophysical data from NASA.
      
      
  • Polling Organizations:
    • Real Clear Politics. Contains national polling data from multiple polls. Check out the National Tracking Polls.
      
    • Gallup Poll Home Page. Check out poll topics.
      
    • Roper Center for Public Opinion Research Home Page
      
    • Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Home Page
      
    • Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Home Page
      
    • George Washington University Battleground Poll Home Page
      
    • CBS News Poll Home Page
      
    • Fox/Opinion Dynamics Poll Home Page
      

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  Office: Swords 341
  Phone: (508) 793-2476
  Fax: (508) 793-3040
  P.O. Box: 120A
  email address: dbd@mathcs.holycross.edu

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  Prof. Damiano's Homepage
  See the Math & CS homepage
  See the Holy Cross homepage