Instructor: Brian Dennis
Professor Emeritus, Department of
Mathematics and Statistical Science
208-596-3897, brian@uidaho.edu
Reprints
of publications available.
Prerequisite:
Math/Stat 451 or equivalent calculus-based course in
probability.
Textbook:
Samaniego, F. J. 2014. Stochastic
modeling and mathematical statistics: a text for statisticians and quantitative
scientists. CRC Press, Boca Raton,
FL. Available at UI bookstore, or here, or here.
Scope:
The course will cover portions of Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 and supplementary material provided by the instructor. Click on "Schedule of Topics" below.
Other materials:
The R computer package, a free program for doing graphs, simulations,
statistical analyses, and scientific calculations, can
be downloaded at http://www.r-project.org/ (Windows, Mac OS, or Linux/Unix). It is available in all the UI student computing labs.
R scripts demonstrated in class
law of large numbers simulation
central limit theorem simulation
multinomial mark recapture profile likelihood
probability and density probability plots
Articles (optional) of further interest in math-stat
Fisher 1922: modern statistics is born (& a historical study here)
Leemis & McQueston paper on distribution relationships
Dennis et al 2019: RIP AIC and hypothesis testing
Other resources:
Statistics Consulting Center
(SCC): Call 885-2929 for an
appointment, for statistics advice concerning research or thesis
Grades:
Based on 500 possible points, 90% A, 80% B, and so on
Assignment 1 (target date: Monday Oct 23 or after Test 2).
Assignment 2 (target date: Wednesday Nov 29 or after Test 3).
All coursework must be completed by 3PM Friday December 15 (EO policy): There are 41 video lectures to be studied in a 15-week course period. Completed tests and assignments (handwritten or typed with equation software) should be returned as pdf or word (.docx, .doc) files. Testing times in the schedule below are advisory: avoid letting tests and assignments bunch up into the final part of the semester.
Learning outcomes: Students completing this course will understand the theory of statistics sufficiently to solve most problems appearing in standard textbooks for this course.
Course
evaluations: Stat452 Math 452
Items for further interest and enjoyment
Statistics-related
links and resources
Dallal’s
essay on why significance level is 5%
Brian’s essay on
Bayesian statistics
Aaron
and Brian’s essay on statistics education for ecologists
US Department of Health and Human Services botches the definition of "statistical significance"
Scientists on medical & health practices (If it talks like a quack, and bills like a quack, it probably is a quack):
An acupuncture study Review of studies Discussion
Paranormal/supernatural phenomena:
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
The Last Will and Testament of Philip
J. Klass
To UFOlogists who
publicly criticize me…or who even think unkind thoughts about me in private,
I do hereby leave and bequeath THE UFO
CURSE: No matter how long you live, you will never know
any more about UFOs than you know today. You
will never know any more about what UFOs really
are, or where they come from. You will
never know any more about what the U.S. Government really
knows about UFOs than you know today. As
you lie on your own death-bed you will be as mystified
about UFOs as you are today. And you will
remember this curse.
— Philip J. Klass, prominent UFO skeptic, posted on a UFO discussion site shortly before his death
Scientists on evolution, intelligent design, biblical creation:
Dover trial transcripts (read what scientists and “cdesign proponentists” say under oath)
Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University
The continuing futile attacks by evolution’s
opponents reminds me of another legendary confrontation,
that between Arthur and the Black Knight in
the movie Monte Python and the Holy Grail. The Black
Knight, like evolution’s challengers, continues
to fight even as each of his limbs is hacked off, one by
one.
The “no transitional fossils” argument and the “designed genes” model
have been cut clean off,
the courts have debunked the “ID is
science” claim, and the nonsense here about the edge of evolution
is quickly sliced to pieces by
well-established biochemistry. The
knights of ID may profess these blows
are “but a scratch” or “just a flesh
wound,” but the argument for design has no scientific leg to stand on.
— Sean B. Carroll, in a review (2007 Science 316:1427-1428), of Michael J. Behe’s book
The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism.
National Science Teachers Association
Statisticians analyze USA elections:
Exit poll discrepancy analyses (2004 USA presidential election)
(How the 2004 election fraud was committed: A. )
Scientists on climate change research:
Spencer Weart’s history of global change research (plus many fine links)
LaTeX (science/math/tech typesetting) resources:
Comparing public, private, and charter schools with NAEP data:
NAEP/US Department of Education analysis
Education "Rhee-form" makes things worse
Postmodern comedy: which of the following articles is a (deliberate) parody?
A. Deconstructing
the evidence-based discourse in health sciences: truth, power and fascism
B. Transgressing
the boundaries: towards a transformative
hermeneutics of quantum gravity
Share this on Facebook:
Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults
And of course, no statistics course website would be complete without:
Todd Snider "Statisticians Blues"