COVID:

At the moment of this writing (October 2022) we are 100% in non-Covid mode. In particular, all lectures, discussion sections, exams and office hours will be held in the classroom, help room or office, NOT online. The Covid page of this course website contains important information about topics related to the pandemic. It will be updated whenever the situation changes, so be sure to check it frequently.

Course Description:

This course aims at exploring basic statistics concepts, including sampling, probability, binomial distribution, normal distribution, sample average, sample standard deviation, confidence intervals, tests of statistical hypotheses. Understanding statistics as a powerful tool for analyzing data will be achieved through examination of various examples. We will cover the majority of parts I through VII (ch. 1 - 25) in the textbook (De Veaux/Velleman/Bock: Stats - Data & Models, 5th edition) and also, time permittting, multifactor ANOVA (ch.26). We will focus on numerous examples on our way to understanding how statistics is a powerful tool for analyzing data. We assume the following: You are accustomed to dealing with formulas, You do not need any remedial algebra. Knowledge of calculus is not assumed but you should be familiar with summation notation and indexed variables such as a4 and xn. Accordingly you should not have any problems with formulas such as   Σxk . The first homework assignment has already been posted on the Homework page of this web site. It asks you to read a couple of web links which teach you the mathematical prerequisites for this course. Check them out NOW!    You should follow the advice just given since I personally do not check for any prerequisites such as Math 107. If the system lets you register for this course then you are registered. Note though that if your lack of mathematical understanding results in a bad grade then there is nothing I can do for you. If the system keeps you out since it enforces prerequisites then you have to talk to the Math admins in the WH building or to your student adviser. I do not handle such matters.

General Course Info / Math 147B web site:

This syllabus is part of the instructor's website for Math 147B. You can link to its home page from the instructor's web page of the BU Math department's website. Here is a direct link .

Discussion Section Info:

A schedule for the discussion sections can be found on the Math 147B home page . Note that TA's office hours will be held in the Math 147B help room (WH 233) probably starting with week 2 of the semester.

Prerequisites:    

As stated above we do not enforce any prerequisites but we take it for granted that you are comfortable with material from the hard sciences. You should be comfortable with formulas if they are used instead of verbal descriptions: The course is not a mathematical statistics, and knowledge of calculus is not assumed. However, formulas will be used in lecture to a larger extent than in the text. You may have problems following the material if you are not to some degree quantitatively oriented.

Textbook:    

Stats - Data & Models (5th edition) by De Veaux, Velleman and Bock (REQUIRED).

This instructor has been informed that the BU bookstore has obtained a very favorable deal as the pricing of the text + access code is concerned. It is up to you to do your own diligence and check whether you can do better. The access code comes as part of your enrollment into Math 147B and you must explicitly opt out to have your money refunded. See the beginning of the course materials page of this website for details.

Note that none of the exams and quizzes require MyStatLab access, thus you may be able to get by without the access code. But note also that some homework assignments will require you to use statistical software and it is up to you what kind of technology you use to get the job done. You will find more info about this towards the end of the "SDM Website" section which follows this one.

Most of the homework will be chosen from this book and only references to the problems are given. If you do not obtain your book from the BU bookstore then there is a possibility that your copy is not in sync with the official version and it is your responsibily to ensure that you work on the correct problem. We refer to this book simply as "SDM" (abbreviation for "Stats: Data & Models") or as "DVB" (the initials of the authors).

SDM Website:    

As already mentioned, you automatically have an access code that allows you to register to the Pearson (the publisher) Math 147B website. We also refer to this site as the DVB website or the MyStatLab website. I created on that website a course with the following attributes:

1. Course name: Math 147B Elementary Statistics - Spring 2023
2. Course ID: fochler68778

The instructions for registering with Pearson are found on the Course material tab of this website. The direct link for those instructions is here. If you review those instructions then you see that you need to provide the course ID (fochler68778) to access the site.

To generate those instructions: Click on the "Details" button for my course (in the "My Courses" page which lists all my Pearson courses).

Strictly speaking, you do not need to visit the SDM website to pass the course, because it is only used to provide optional homework which will not be graded. Nevertheless there are good reasons why you should familiarize yourself with it.

• If you do not understand the material, these optional practice problems come with some online guidance on solving them.
• The "regular" homework problems (the ones assigned weekly on the Homework page of this site that you must turn in during discussions) are kept computationally very simple so that you can do them with a simple calculator and some lookup tables whereas the optional problems might be more real-world like and solving them is done best with some statistics software. The SDM website allows you to import your data into ...
• ... StatCrunch, an online package for statistics problems which you can run from the SDM website.
• The book gives instructions on how to accomplish certain tasks with Excel, StatCrunch and other software. They are found in the "On the Computer ..." sections of each chapter, just before the exercises.
• It also explains in those sections how to use a TI-83 or TI-84 calculator for this purpose.
• This class is "technology neutral" We do not mandate any specific technology, and it is up to you to use whatever you feel comfortable with.

Math 147B does not have the TA resources to teach you how to use StatCrunch or some other statistical software. Accordingly you have to figure out these things on your own. I have instructed my TAs to help you during their office hours with software related problems.

Brightspace:

• I will avoid using Brightspace whenever possible. All my communication will take place via the announcements page of this website and email broadcasts.
• On the other hand I leave it up to each TA how they will use Brightspace Very likely your TA will use this software to keep track of your grades.
• Stay on top of your grades! If your grade is incorrect you must contact your teaching assistant for a correction immediately. Grades will not be corrected more than one week after their posting date except in case of a prolonged and excused absence, e.g., a hospital stay. Visit Brightspace frequently!

Lectures:

• The lectures provide the main presentation of course material. I will follow as closely as possible the week-by-week schedule published on this website.
• Attendance in lecture is not required but will give you additional points. See further down for more on this.
• You are responsible for learning lecture material missed due to an absence. Be sure to know at least one other student who can share her/his notes with you!

Discussion Sections:

• Each one of you is assigned a discussion section, which meets once a week on either Tuesday or Thursday.
• These sections are a valuable opportunity for open discussion of the lecture material and assigned problems in a smaller class setting.

The first discussion sections take place on Tuesday, January 17, before your first lecture.

Attendance in discussion is required; a significant portion of the points that determine your grade in the course is earned in your discussion class. More importantly, if you skip discussion then you will perform significantly below your potential when taking the exams and those count for 75% of the grade. Note that one period per week is generally not adequate to answer all questions. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunities outside of class for additional help.

Your main resource person is your teaching assistant. S/he is available during office hours (or by appointment) to answer your questions about the course material. Your TA is responsible for recording all quiz, homework, and exam scores. If you have concerns about your discussion session which cannot be handled by your TA or the head TA, contact the lecturer, Dr. Fochler. As mentioned above, you should check the course website and Brightspace regularly and consult with your TA if you have any questions about recorded grades.

Lectures during campus wide class cancellations:

BU admin leaves it at the discretion of the instructor whether or not lectures will be held in case of a cancellation due to inclement weather or other circumstances that transportation to/from campus is suspended. My policy for this course in such an instance is as follows.

• Lectures and discussion sections will be held via Zoom.
• For lectures I will create a separate Zoom session ID for each such meeting and publish the link for the meeting via email. This may happen on short notice, so check your email for an announcement in case there is a campus wide cancellation of classes.
• Your TA may follow my lead and create a separate Zoom session for each instance or use a static link. Each TA will announce this individually.
• Those Zoom sessions will be recorded and I'll publish the links on the course materials page.
• If a midterm or quiz is scheduled during such a date then it will be administered during the next in-class lecture or discussion.

Record Keeping:

You must retain all returned files and papers in case of any discrepancy with your course grade. We cannot correct mistakes in grading or recording of scores without the original document. We will not review disputed points after the final. All grading issues must be settled within one week of the publishing of the grade.

Transfer to another section:

If you want to transfer from a section to a different one then you must talk not only to me but also to BOTH TAs involved. If we can satisfy your request (this may not be possible) then your Brightspace grades must be manually transferred from the old section to the new one, and it is your responsibility to check that your grades are in fact visible in the new section!

Exams:

There will be three midterm exams and one final exam. Each midterm exam will be worth 150 points and the final exam will be worth 300 points.

No notes, books, cell phones, or laptops are allowed for tests. However, you are allowed a calculator and an index card as discussed elsewhere in this syllabus. Details will be discussed before each exam.

Exam Dates and times can be found on the Math 147B Home Page. Make all arrangements necessary to take the tests at the dates you see listed there. Those times and dates are non-negotiable.

Midterms: If BU classes were cancelled after a midterm was already printed then its date may be shifted to a later day to ensure that all topics on the exam have been taught before the exam date. Note that this does not apply to the final exam!

Final exam and final exam makeup:

The final exam will be comprehensive and you must take it at the scheduled time. You can request the makeup final only if you have another final at the same time (direct conflict), or if you have three final exams scheduled within 24 hours. If you want to request to take the alternate final then you must do so by Monday, April 24 2023, by sending an email to me and your TA. If you cannot take either the final exam or the makeup for the final at its specified time then the only other option will be an incomplete which might require you to retake the final exam with an instructor who will choose a different text.

Quizzes:

There will be as many as 12 quizzes, each worth 15 points. They will be given in your discussion section.

The lowest 2 quizzes will be dropped. No make-ups will be given unless a student has more excused absences than dropped quizzes.

Homework:

Homework will be assigned weekly and a list can be found on the Homework page of the course website. You must turn in your assignment in your discussion section unless your TA agrees to accept it at other times. The rules are those specified in the homework set:

• all answers to the exercises must be typed by computer, except that you may do drawings by hand (use a ruler!). Note though that it would be easier and faster to use a program like Excel or StatCrunch to create box plots, etc.

Exceptions to this rule will also be specified in the homework set itself.

Only five of those homework assignments will be selected for grading: Your TA will grade some or all of the problems of those selected assignments and you can earn up to 25 points for each graded assignment.

The lowest homework grade will be dropped. No make-ups will be given unless a student has more excused absences than dropped homework assignments.

Calculator:    

You will need a calculator for quizzes and exams.

• Calculators used during quizzes and exams may not be programmable and they may not be graphing calculators. This specifically rules out calculators from the TI-83 and TI-84 series.
• Suggested calculators (August 24, 2016):
  1. TI 30X IIS scientific calculator: I have seen that one for less than $10.00 at Walmart.com with no S/H cost if you pick it up in store.
  2. TI BA II Plus financial calculator: This calculator has statistical functions but they won't do you a lot of good because you are required in your exams and quizzes to write down the actual formula with your specific data to get credit.
• Laptops and cell phones are not allowed.
• You are not permitted to share a calculator. You are advised to bring a backup calculator and spare batteries.

You will need a different (more capable) calculator or a laptop for your homework. Homework will be much more computationally involved than the quizzes and exams. Statistical software would be even better, but you must be willing to spend time on learning how to use it. StatCrunch was mentioned previously.

• The book gives instructions on how to accomplish certain tasks with Excel, StatCrunch and other software. They are found in the "On the Computer ..." sections of each chapter, just before the exercises.
• It also explains in those sections how to use a TI-83 or TI-84 calculator for this purpose.
• This class is "technology neutral" We do not mandate any specific technology, and it is up to you to use whatever you feel comfortable with.

Index Cards:

You are allowed a single index card to the exams. It is subject to the following regulations:

• max size is 4 x 6 inches for the midterms
• max size is 5 x 8 inches for the final
• It may be written by hand or printed, and it may contain material on both sides

Students With Disabilities:

Students requesting disability-related accommodations should register with the Services for Students with Disabilities office (SSD). They are the appropriate entity on campus to determine and authorize disability-related accommodations. For more info please click here. If you are already registered with SSD you should send me asap an email. Please attach your SSD letter. You should approach me during office hours or after lecture so that you and I can discuss the implementation of your accommodations.

Late Adds to the Course:

If you were added late to the course and you missed quiz 1 and/or quiz 2 and/or the first graded homework for that reason then quiz 3 will also count for quiz 1, quiz 4 will also count for quiz 2, and the second graded homework will also count for the first.

Your Grade:

You can earn a total of 1,000 points in this course:

TENTATIVE grading scale:

Attendance - A Chance to Earn Additional Points:

Registration in this course obliges you to be regular and punctual in class attendance but we do not enforce this, as you will punish yourself with an inferior grade if you decide not to attend class. Rather, attendance sheets will be collected during six randomly selected lectures and 5 points will be awarded to everyone who then attended lecture. In other words, you can earn up to 30 additional points if you were present during all those dates. Here is an example. Assume you earned 835 points from your exams, quizzes and homeworks, and that you signed four attendace sheets. This will lift your total to 855 points and your grade will be an A- rather than a B+.

Attendance will not be taken during discussion but you are advised not to skip discussion as up to 12 quizzes means that a quiz will be given during almost every section!

Make-up Policy:

• Make-up exams and quizzes will only be given in response to an excused absence. Excused absences include illness, religious holiday, a major tragedy in the family and participation in official BU athletic events.
• To be excused, absences must be properly documented. The document must cover the day of the test. The makeup will be scheduled within 3 or 4 days after the missed exam. You must request a make-up in writing by sending an email TO YOUR TA with your instructor in the cc.
• Except in very exceptional circumstances such as a prolongued illness, you will NOT be given the opportunity to complete old assignments at the end of the semester to improve your grades. When you receive a grade, whether on Brightspace or in class, you will have one week to discuss that grade before it becomes FINAL.

Success:

Success in this course depends largely on your attitude and effort. Attendance and participation in class is critical. It is not effective to sit and copy notes without following the thought processes involved in the lecture. For example, you should try to answer the questions posed by your lecturer. Students who do not actively participate have much more difficulty. However, be aware that much of the learning of mathematics at the university takes place outside of the classroom. You need to spend time reviewing the concepts of each lecture before you attempt homework problems. It is also important to look over the textbook sections to be covered in the next lecture to become familiar with the vocabulary and main ideas before class. That way you will be much more apt to grasp the material presented by your lecturer. As with most college courses, you should expect to spend a minimum of 2 hours working on your own for every hour of classroom instruction (at least 6 hours per week). It can also be very helpful to study with a group. This type of cooperative learning is encouraged, but be sure it leads to a better conceptual understanding. You must be able to work through the problems on your own. Even if you work together, each student must turn in his or her own work, not a copied solution, on any collected individual assignment.

Academic Honesty:

Incidents of academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely. There is precedent for giving an "F" for the course to a student who attempts to advance his/her grade illegally.

Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

• Copying another student's work
• Letting someone copy your work
• lying to or intentionally misleading an instructor
• Signing someone else's name to a document
• Homework assignments only: only having your name on the PDF but not understanding the proofs.

Best wishes for a successful semester!

Michael Fochler