THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION. THIS VERSION WAS PREPARED ON 11/03/10
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
V31.0018.001
Spring 2011
Professor Lucas Bernard
Email: lucas.bernard@nyu.edu
19 West 4th Street, Room 704
Web Page: http://www.LucasBernard.com
Office hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 11:00 – 12:00
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Statistics
Teaching Assistants
TBA
Class/recitation meets: as per student’s registration
Course Description
This is an introductory Statistics class. Topics covered include data presentation and analysis, calculation
of sample statistics, basic probability theory, the Normal and t-distributions, confidence intervals,
hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of high school algebra, graphing, and facility with a scientific calculator and/or MS-EXCEL
Textbook
Anderson/Sweeney/Williams (2010), Statistics for Business and Economics (11th Edition), SouthWestern/Cengage Publishing
Calculating & Computing Device (Required)
All students must have either a laptop/desktop with MS-Excel installed or an electronic calculator with
statistical functions. Laptops should be running recent software, e.g., MS-Excel 2003 or better, and
calculators must have computing power similar to the TI-83/84+. Students must know how to use their
devices. Class time is limited and cannot be spent on solving problems specific to particular computers or
calculators. Assistance will be provided for the more commonly used programs and devices. Note: This
is an essential element of the course. It will not be possible to do many of the homework and exam
questions without such devices. Students should bring their device to every class.
Recitation
You MUST enroll in APLIA, our electronic grading system. Please DO NOT WORK AHEAD for the first
couple of weeks as the assignments may change. Further details will be forthcoming. IMPORTANT:
Unlike in previous semesters, this term, the APLIA assignments & the book DO match/coordinate!!
Examinations and Grading Criteria
There will be two in-class examinations worth 10% each, one midterm worth 20%, one final exam worth
35%, and homework/recitation worth 25%. You may bring a notebook, but not the textbook, and a
calculator to all examinations. Pens, computers, computational devices, notes, and formula sheets are
the only things you may bring to the exams. No materials (pens, calculators, papers, etc.) can be shared
with other students. Academic Dishonesty will be severely punished. Each student is expected to work
individually. Any questions should be asked of the instructor and NOT other students. Any student found
to be cheating or helping others to cheat will be asked to leave the class room immediately, will receive a
failing grade for the course, and will be reported to the DUG. We cannot cover every topic in class. Thus,
to some degree, there may be some topics covered on exams that were not discussed in class. However,
ALL the material IS in the book! You will be advised of what chapters will be tested.
STATISTICS, SPRING 2009, PAGE 1
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION. THIS VERSION WAS PREPARED ON 11/03/10
Notes:
(1) Extra credit/makeup work is NOT available. If there is any student who feels that he or she may
need an accommodation for any type of disability, please make an appointment to see me during my
office hours. In general: no incompletes will be awarded.
(2) This syllabus is an APPROXIMATE guide to what we will be doing. It should not be relied upon and
is subject to change. For specific details, please check the course Blackboard!
Hour
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
Topic
Overview; Nature of Data; Critical Thinking
Frequency Distributions and Histograms
Statistical Graphics
Measures of Center
Measures of Variation
Measures of Relative Standing
Exploratory Data Analysis
Review
Exam 1 (Chapters 1 – 3)
Fundamentals of Probability and Addition Rule
Multiplication Rule: Basics
Random Variables
Binomial Probability Distributions
Mean, Variance, and Standard Deviation for the Binomial
Distribution
Review
The Standard Normal Distribution
Applications of Normal Distributions
Sampling Distributions and Estimators
The Central Limit Theorem
Normal Approximation of the Binomial Distribution
Review
Midterm (Chapters 1 – 6)
Estimating a Population Proportion
Estimating a Population Mean: ó Known
Estimating a Population Mean: ó Not Known
Testing a Claim about a Proportion
Testing a Claim about a Proportion
Testing a Claim about a Mean: ó Known
Testing a Claim about a Mean: ó Not Known
Testing a Claim about a Standard Deviation or Variance
Inferences from Two Samples I
Inferences from Two Samples II
Review
Exam 2 (Chapters 7 – 9)
Correlation
Regression
More About Regression
Multiple Regression
Contingency Tables
One-Way ANOVA
Two-Way ANOVA
STATISTICS, SPRING 2009, PAGE 2
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION. THIS VERSION WAS PREPARED ON 11/03/10
42
43
44
Nonparametric Statistics
Review for Comprehensive Final Exam (Chapters 10 – 12)
Review for Comprehensive Final Exam (emphasis on Regression)
STATISTICS, SPRING 2009, PAGE 3