Main menu: Home | TA Info | Syllabus | Homework | Calendar | Exams | Labs

Syllabus

Course:  Math 11/11L   (Course Catalog)

Title:  Elementary Probability and Statistics

Credit Hours:  5   (Four credits for Math 11 and one credit for Math 11L.)

Prerequisite:  Math 10AB or Math 20AB

Corequisite:  Math 11 and Math 11L must be taken together.

Catalog Description for Math 11:  Events and probabilities, conditional probability, Bayes’ formula. Discrete random variables: mean, variance; binomial, Poisson distributions. Continuous random variables: densities, mean, variance; normal, uniform, exponential distributions, central limit theorem. Sample statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, regression. Applications. Intended for biology and social science majors.

Catalog Description for Math 11L:  Introduction to the use of software in probabilistic and statistical analysis. Emphasis on understanding connections between the theory of probability and statistics, numerical results of real data, and learning techniques of data analysis and interpretation useful for solving scientific problems.

Textbook:  Stats: Data and Models (3rd edition) by De Veaux, Velleman, and Bock.

  • The bookstore will be selling both ordinary hardback copies of the textbook and binder-ready copies, which will be available at a lower price. Either version will be fine.
  • The bookstore gives you the option of purchasing the textbook bundled with the student version of MINITAB, which is the statistical software that we will use for Math 11L. You are not required to purchase the software.

Material Covered:  We will cover most of chapters 1-27 of the textbook. This will include material on descriptive statistics, probability theory, and statistical inference. Because Math 11 students have seen calculus, we will also cover some material on  continuous probability  that is not in the textbook. A list of what topics will be covered each day can be found on the  Course Calendar.

Math 11L:  All students who enroll in Math 11 must enroll in the one-unit lab course Math 11L, and vice versa. No exceptions will be made. Math 11L computer assignments will require knowledge of the material being taught concurrently in Math 11, while Math 11 exams may test some material covered in Math 11L (such as how to interpret computer output). Computer lab sections will be held each Thursday in APM B432. Students must attend the section in which they are enrolled because the university has only 35 MINITAB licenses.

Statistical Software:  Students will complete the assignments for Math 11L using the statistical software MINITAB. This software has been installed on the computers in the ACMS labs in rooms B325, B349, and B432 in the basement of the Applied Physics and Mathematics building. You can purchase the textbook from the bookstore bundled with MINITAB, which will allow you to use the student version of MINITAB from home if your computer runs Windows. You can also rent MINITAB for six months from e-academy (see the link on the Math 11L web page).

Graphing Calculators:  Although a graphing calculator is not required for the course, it is likely to be helpful. Having a graphing calculator avoids the need to use tables for statistical inference. Graphing calculators will be permitted on exams. The TI-83 is recommended for Statistics, but other calculators such as the TI-89 are fine also.

Homework:  Homework is a very important part of the course and in order to fully master the topics it is essential that you work carefully on every assignment and try your best to complete every problem. We will have two different kinds of homework assignments in this class: online homework and written homework.

  • Written homework assignments will be announced on the course  "Homework"  page. You should do each assignment neatly and carefully, and show the steps in your calculations, not just the final answer. Written homework assignments will be due on Wednesdays. You must turn in your homework using your TA's homework dropbox (in the basement of AP&M) before 5:00 PM on the due date.
  • Online homework will be done through MyStatLab, a service offered by Pearson Higehr Ed., the publisher of our textbook. Instructions for registering for MyStatLab can be found here. (You must use your UCSD email in order to receive credit for the online homework.)
  • No homework assignment scores will be dropped at the end of the quarter.

Course Readings:  Reading the chapters in the textbook that correspond to what we are discussing in class is a very important part of learning the subject. Lecture time is very limited and not every subject can be fully covered in the time allotted for lecture. Consequently, it is in your own interests to read the related chapters in the textbook. The assigned reading will be posted on the course  "Homework"  page with the homework corresponding to that reading.

Computer Labs:  There will be eight computer assignments associated with the course Math 11L. These assignments will usually be due on Fridays. You will have a chance to ask questions about them in your lab section the previous Thursday. Lab sections will meet every Thursday of the quarter. You must submit your completed assignments online using TED. Instructions are available on the Math 11L web page.

Exams:  There will be two midterm exams and a final exam. The midterm exams will be held during class. Check the  Course Calendar  for the exact dates of the midterm and final exams. You will be permitted to use a calculator during the exams. You will not be permitted to use notes or your book, but you will be provided with a list of formulas. Please bring your student ID to the exams.

Grading:  You will receive separate grades for Math 11 and Math 11L. However, to receive a passing grade in either Math 11 or Math 11L, you must be enrolled in both. Your Math 11L grade will be obtained from your scores on 8 computer lab assignments. Your Math 11 average will be calculated as follows:

(.20)*(Homework) + (.20)*(First Midterm) + (.20)*(Second Midterm) + (.40)*(Final Exam)

After your average is calculated, letter grades will be assigned based on your performance relative to the class in such a way that the average grade for the course is likely to be a B-.

Note:  No homework or lab scores will be dropped, so you should make every effort to do each assignment and turn it in on time.

Grade Recording Errors:  Keep all of your returned homework and exams. If there is any mistake in the recording of your scores, you will need the original assignment/lab/exam in order for us to make a change.

Regrades:  All graded material will be returned in discussion sections. If you wish to have your exam regraded, you must return it immediately to your TA. Regrade requests will not be considered once the exam leaves the room. If you do not retrieve your exam during discussion section, you must arrange to pick it up from your TA within one week after it was returned in order for any regrade request to be considered.

Make-up Exams:  Make-up midterm exams will not be given. However, if you miss a midterm exam because of extraordinary circumstances, such as a serious illness or family emergency, and document the circumstances, then you may substitute your final exam score for the missed exam.

Late Homework:  Each type of assignment has a different late policy.

  • For handwritten homework, late assignments will not be accepted. You are required to turn in only a small selection of the exercises and so it is felt you have plenty of time. If you know that you will be out of town the day a homework assignment is due, you should make sure you turn it in before you leave.
  • Online homework may be submitted late, but for a 50% reduction in point values. (The reduction is per problem, not per assignment, so you will be penalized only on those problems that are submitted after the deadline.)
  • Computer labs will be accepted one day late with a 3-point penalty but will not be accepted more than one day late. Exceptions are the first lab (which can be submitted up to five days late with a 1-point penalty) and the last lab (which will not be accepted late).
Other accommodations will be made on homework and computer labs only under extraordinary circumstances. Please understand that accepting late work in less extreme cases is unfair to other students.

Note:  Forgetting the due date is not considered an "extraordinary circumstance".

Suggestions:  Below are some suggestions that I hope will help you to succeed in this course:

  • Spend sufficient time on the course. According to the policy of UCSD's Academic Senate, "The value of a course in units ... shall be reckoned at the rate of one unit for three hours' work per week per quarter on the part of the student." You will receive a total of 5 credits for Math 11 and Math 11L, so you should be willing to spend about 15 hours per week on the course.
  • Keep up with the homework, and turn in all homework and lab assignments. Missing a homework assignment or a computer lab assignment will hurt your grade because no homework or computer lab scores will be dropped. It is impossible to get an A and difficult to get a B in Math 11L if you skip one of the labs, and skipping more than two will almost certainly lead to a failing grade. This policy is designed to encourage students to complete all the assignments and reward those who do.
  • Get started on the computer lab assignments before your Thursday lab section. This will enable you to make the most of your section time by coming prepared with specific questions.
  • When doing textbook problems, try doing odd-numbered problems before even-numbered problems. Most even-numbered end-of-chapter problems are similar to the preceding problem, so if you are stuck on problem 24, try problem 23, and check your answer against the back of the book.


Academic Integrity Policy

It is essential that all students adhere to the UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship. Cases of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Integrity Coordinator. Students are expected to obey the following rules:

Exams:  On exams, you will be allowed to use a calculator, but you will not be permitted to use any books or notes. All devices that can be used for communication or internet access must be put away and out of view during the exam.

Homework and Computer Labs:  You may consult other students, the instructor, or TAs while working on homework assignments. However, the following rules apply:

  1. You must write up your final solutions independently.
  2. You may not copy solutions from another student or from any other source.
  3. If you consult any sources other than your textbook or discuss the problems with anyone other than the instructor or TA, you must acknowledge this on your homework or lab.
  4. Your lab write-ups must be based on calculations that you carried out in MINITAB yourself. Never send your MINITAB graphs, or the text of your lab solutions, to another student.
  5. You may look at old exams posted on the course web page, but you may not look at other materials (such as homework or computer lab solutions) from previous Math 11 classes.
  6. You may look up general course topics on the internet, but you may not look for solutions to specific homework problems on the internet.
  7. You may not look at the Instructor's Edition of the textbook, or any other source (besides the course web page) containing answers to even-numbered problems in the textbook.

Examples of Acceptable Behavior:

  • You forget how to find a regression line in MINITAB. You ask a classmate, who reminds you where the regression menu is. You go back to your computer and do the regression.
  • You solve most of the homework problems yourself but get stuck on two of them. You explain your difficulties to your classmate, who points out your mistakes. You go home and write up correct solutions, including a note acknowledging your classmate's help.

Examples of Unacceptable Behavior:

  • Your classmate forgot to make one of the graphs in MINITAB that he needed, so you send him yours by email. (Both you and your classmate are violating rule 4, even if your classmate includes his own write-up to go along with the graph that you sent him.)
  • A friend who took Math 11 last year shows you his homework or computer lab solutions to help you with a few problems on which you are stuck. (This violates rule 5.)
  • Your classmate has finished her homework and shows you her solutions. You base your solutions on hers, making changes to the wording. (This violates rules 1 and 2. Never look at another student's solutions while writing yours.)
  • Three people work on a homework assignment together. They all contribute and acknowledge one another's help. Because they wrote up the problems together, their solutions are nearly identical. (This violates rule 1. Final solutions must be written independently.)