BISHOP’S UNIVERSITY
LENNOXVILLE, QUEBEC
PHY 101
STATISTICAL METHODS IN EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE
FALL 2014
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Sylvain Turcotte
Johnson-11b, 822-9600 ext 2287
sturcott@ubishops.ca
SCHEDULE:
Mon, Wed, Fri 12:30 - 13:30; BWH (J-200)
TEXT: Elementary Statistics, 3rd Canadian edition. by M. Triola, W. M. Goodman, R.
Law, and G. Labute. An older version of a Triola textbook has been put
on reserve in the library. Other textbooks can be used as well, for example
from Mendenhall.
SYNOPSIS: This course is specifically designed to meet the needs of students of
physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and computer science. Topics
include: errors of observation, graphical visualization of data; descriptive
analysis; elementary probability, permutations and combinations; the
binomial, normal and Poisson distributions; random sampling; testing
hypotheses, significance levels, confidence limits, large and small
sampling methods; regression and correlation; chi-square test; analysis of
variance.
RESOURCES: My office hours will be posted on my door. Students are encouraged to
come see me whenever I am in my office, except on Thursdays.
The “Physics help center” will be open this semester. It is located in room
J-1 and its schedule will be posted on the door.
A set of powerpoint slides that cover the course material will be uploaded
to Moodle. All documents in electronic form used in class will be posted
on Moodle
It is vital that you do not fall behind in this class because a lot of material
is covered at a rapid pace. Make use of the resources at your disposal.
MARKING SCHEME:
Assignments: 15%
Midterms (2): 30%
Final Exam: 55%
Tentative dates for the midterms are Wednesday the 8th of October and
Wednesday the 5th of November. The dates of the midterms will be
confirmed a few weeks in advance during the semester.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Assignments must be submitted by the due date.
Late assignments will not be accepted unless special permission has been
granted in advance.
OFFICE HOURS: will be posted on the door of my office (J-11b)
I will not be available Thursdays!
TOPICS TO BE COVERED (as time permits):
1. Descriptive Statistics: Chapters 1, 2 (except 2-2), section 11-2
a. Analyzing Data; Measures of Central Tendency; Measures of Variation
b. The Standard Deviation; z-scores
c. Linear Correlation and Regression
2. Probability and Probability Distributions: Chapters 3, 4, 5
a. Permutations and Combinations
b. Addition and Multiplication Rules; Conditional Probability
c. Discrete Probability Distributions; Binomial Distribution; Poisson
Distribution
d. Normal Distribution, Applications; Approximation to the Binomial
Distribution
3. Inferential Statistics: Chapters 6 through 11
a. Central Limit Theorem
b. Estimations; Significance; Confidence Intervals
c. Hypothesis Testing; Types of Errors; p-values; Applications
d. Analysis of Variance; One-way (and Two-way) ANOVA Tables
e. Correlation Confidence
f. Chi-Squared Distribution; Goodness of Fit; Contingency Tables
g. Multiple Regression, Applications