Mathematical Statistics

Math 46

Spring 1999

Professor Bradley A. Hartlaub

Office 21 Ascension Hall

Phone PBX 5405

Office Hours MWF 10:00 - 11:00 & Thursday 1:00 - 2:40

Additional appointments are available; please don't hesitate to ask for help.

Text

Freund, J. E. (1999), Mathematical Statistics, Sixth Edition, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Homework

Homework assignments will be given throughout the semester. I encourage you to solve as many problems as possible. This includes problems which have not been assigned. For homework that will be collected and graded, each student must submit his/her own solution.

Problem Sessions

During the semester we will have many problem sessions which will be conducted by you (the students). These sessions are designed to improve your understanding of statistical ideas and enhance your mathematical reasoning skills by requiring a clear, detailed presentation of the material to your peers. During these sessions, you will be responsible for solving an assigned problem and presenting the solution to the rest of the class. Answering all questions about your solution is a required part of the presentation. Being able to solve problems and being able to present the solutions to a group in a logical and coherent fashion are two different tasks. Our goal is to master both tasks.

Late Policy

Homework assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the class period on the assigned due date. No credit will be given for late papers. If for any reason you cannot turn in your paper on the assigned date, you must contact me before class. If you are unable to contact me, you can leave a message with the secretaries in Ascension Hall or send e-mail to HARTLAUB.

Project

An oral presentation describing a statistical technique which has not been discussed in class. The presentation must contain a thorough explanation of the technique and at least one example which demonstrates how to apply the technique. A written explanation of this technique must be submitted within one week of the oral presentation.

Exams

Friday, March 5 Take-Home Midterm Exam is due

Thursday, May 13 Comprehensive Take-Home Final Exam is due

Grades

Your course grade will be based on your overall percentage which will be computed as follows: (HW% + Class% + Project% + Midterm% + Final%)/5. Your Class% will be based on class participation and your performance on the problems presented in the problem sessions.

Course Outline

Chapter 6 Special Probability Densities

Chapter 8 Sampling Distributions

Chapter 7 Functions of Random Variables

Chapter 10 Estimation: Theory

Chapter 11 Estimation: Applications

Chapter 12 Hypothesis Testing: Theory

Chapter 13 Hypothesis Testing: Applications

Chapter 9 Decision Theory