ST420: Probability and Mathematical Statistics I

Fall 1998

Instructor: Professor J. Hoeting
Office: 214 Statistics Building
Telephone: 491-2897
e-mail: jah@stat.colostate.edu
Office hours : To be announced
Course homepage: http://www.stat.colostate.edu/~jah/teach/st420
Teaching Assistant: Marsha Huang
T.A. office: 307 Statistics Building
T.A. telephone: 491-3824
T.A. email: huang@stat.colostate.edu

Objectives

ST420 serves as an introduction to probability and mathematical statistics. These areas are the building blocks of the field of statistics. This course will focus more on the mathematical aspects of statistics and little on actual data analysis.

Prerequisite: M255 or M261

Required Textbook

An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and its Applications, Second Edition, R. J. Larsen and M. L. Marx, Prentice Hall, 1986.<

Computing

Students are encouraged to use email as another resource to contact the professor and the T.A. Class announcements, homework hints, all homework assignments, and many class handouts will be available on the ST420 homepage.

Homework

Assigned weekly on Wednesdays and due at the beginning of class on the Wednesday of the following week.

Exams

All exams will be closed book. For each midterm exam, you may bring a single 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper (one side) with whatever facts, formulas, or explanations you find helpful. For the final exam, you can bring 2 formula sheets. The final exam will be comprehensive. You may use a calculator on all exams.

Grade breakdown

Item % of grade Comments
Weekly homework 20% lowest homework grade dropped
Two midterm exams 25% each September 30 and November 11

(these dates are tentative)

One 2 hour final exam 30% Monday, December 14,

11:20 a.m. - 1:20 p.m.

Grading

Each assignment is worth a particular number of points, but course grades are computed on a percentage basis. For example: if you receive 18 points out of 20 possible on homework 1, your homework 1 grade is 90%.

Grades for ST420 will be assigned on a curve with the following minimum guarantees:
Percentage Course Grade
90% and up A- and above
80 to 89.9% B- to B+
70 to 79.9% C- to C+
60 to 69.9% D
below 60% F

It is possible that the curve could be easier, so that lower scores may merit these letter grades. These guidelines will be further discussed on the first day of class.

Course Policies

Late homework: NO CREDIT.

Homework/exam grading disputes: must be submitted in writing within one week after work is returned.

Exam conflicts: Prior permission and arrangement only.

I encourage students to discuss problems in broad, conceptual terms and to work together to solve any problems where the answer is in the back of the book. However, any work turned in must be your own.

Any form of academic dishonesty will be given the most severe penalty possible. Cheating includes representing the ideas of anybody except yourself as your own ideas. The minimum penalty I am required to enforce by departmental policy is a zero for the homework assignment or examination.