Course Description:   MTH 145    Elementary Statistics    Cr. 4
An introductory course covering fundamentals of modern statistical methods. Topics include descriptive statistics, the binomial and normal distributions, estimation, and hypothesis testing. The z, t, F and chi-square test statistics are introduced. Instruction in computer use is included, and statistics software is used throughout the course for analyzing data files and carrying out statistical procedures. Prerequisite: MTH 050 or an appropriate placement test score.

Text: Statistics, the exploration and analysis of data, 5th Ed., by Devore and Peck

Calculator:  You will be asked to demonstrate hand calculations of one and two variable statistics.  Having a calculator which computes statistics will give you the advantage of allowing you to check your answers.

Attendance: Your alert and engaged attendance is your ticket to my office hours.  If you miss class due to circumstances beyond your control or if despite efforts you do not understand material covered in class, I am eager to provide additional help!   On the other hand, if you choose to skip class or sleep through class you should not expect me to provide private tutoring on the material you missed. 

Office Hours:  My office hours are posted on my web page.  Office hours are first come, first serve; you do not need to make an appointment.  If you can't meet during my office hours, feel free to contact me by phone or email to set up an appointment.  Ideally when you visit my office you should have a short list of questions either from the homework, the text, or lecture notes.  Don't let your list get too long before visiting!   Three fifteen minute visits are usually far more useful and feasible than one 45 minute visit.  Waiting until the day before an exam will usually put you at the end of a long line outside my office. 

Important Dates:  Tentative exam dates are Monday, Feb 18, and the Thursdays of Mar 13, Apr 10, and May 1.  The Final Exam will be 12:15-2:15 Thursday, May 15th.

Grading:  Subject to any announced minor changes, your final grade will be based on quizzes (10 x 10 = 100pts), exams (4 x 100 = 400pts), and a comprehensive final (200pts).  Percentage to letter grade guarantees:  92-A, 82-B, 70-C, 60-D.   Note that these percentages may be adjusted downward slightly.  Final cutoffs for these grades as well as cutoffs for AB and BC will be determined based on clustering of scores.

Homework:  Although homework will not be collected, thoughtful and timely completion of the assigned homework is the most reliable path to success in this course. 

Accommodations:  Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, or hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and the Disability Resource Services Office (165 Murphy Library) at the beginning of the semester.