Business Statistics
MAT 142, section 2, Fall 2009
Tu, Th 3:00 – 4:50 PM, ICB 2709
Instructor: Kevin Boyer
e-mail: Kevin.Boyer@heartland.edu or ktboyer@ilstu.edu
Office: ICB 2402
Office hours: 2 – 3 PM before class, or by appointment
Phone: 268-8640 (Math Science Office – leave message)
Class notes will be available on http://scs.cas.ilstu.edu/~ktboyer/public/HCC142
Introduction:
Statistics is used in every walk of life these days. In order to make informed
decisions, a modern person must have a working knowledge of statistics.
Exposure to basic statistical ideas and experience in gathering, analyzing, and
interpreting data also opens the door for a variety of future jobs and applications.
Catalog Description:
Prerequisite: Math 106 or 109, with a grade of C or higher, or equivalent, or
assessment.
(MATH 142 is a) statistics course that emphasizes applications of statistics to
business. Topics include data organization, frequency distributions, measures of
central tendency and variability, probability theory, probability distributions,
sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. A graphing
calculator is required for this course (instruction will be based on a TI 83+). This
course is not intended for a mathematics major or minor.
Required Materials:
Textbook: Mann, Prem S. (2007) Introductory Statistics, John Wiley & Sons. Inc.
Notebook: I recommend a 70 page notebook with pages that cleanly tear out.
Graphing Calculator: Graphing calculator with statistics functions. I will be using
a TI-83 during lecture. You must have your own calculator for tests – any
sharing of calculators during a test will be treated as cheating.
Student Conduct
Students are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous and
responsible manner at all times. Turn off cell phones during class. Do not talk to
others while the instructor is talking to the class or while other students are
participating. Failure to follow this rule will result in your being asked to leave the
room. Consult the Student Handbook for clarification.
Attendance and Participation
Attendance is essential to learning, especially when the pace is quickened
for a summer class. Skipping class is a guaranteed way to fail the course.
Please do not miss class except for extreme emergencies. In order to fully
understand the material, you must also participate meaningfully in class by
asking questions and contributing to the solving of in-class problems. To reward
faithful attendance, I will keep track of who is here on lecture days (Tuesdays). I
will then give the following rewards based on lecture day attendance:
Perfect attendance:
3 lowest quizzes become 20 out of 20
10 extra credit points
1 day missed:
3 lowest quizzes become 20 out of 20
2 days missed:
2 lowest quizzes become 20 out of 20
3 days missed:
lowest quiz becomes 20 out of 20
4 or more days missed:
no reward – why are you even enrolled in the class if
you refuse to show up for lecture?
Although I will take attendance on quiz and test days (Thursdays) for
record keeping purposes, those days do not count toward this benefit, since you
would already be missing a homework grade and either a quiz or test
Grading and Evaluation
I will collect homework problems from each class lecture. The homework
problems will be assigned on the day of the lecture, and they will be due the next
class period. Each of these assignments will be worth five points. Your
homework total will be out of 50 points. There will be more than ten scheduled
homework assignments, so you can potentially miss a few assignments and still
get the full 50 points total on your homework grade. I do not accept any late
homework for any reason. Please do not neglect your homework! On days that
homework is due, we will go over many of the assigned problems. You will be
allowed to finish or correct any problems that you did not have finished.
However, we will not necessarily go over all the problems. I reserve the right to
give a 0 to people who are obviously not doing the homework before class.
On most lecture days, there will also be an in-class worksheet covering
the material we just went over that class period. The entire class may work
together on these worksheets. Each of these worksheets will be worth five
points, and the semester total for worksheets will be 50 points. Once again, you
can miss a few and still get the full 50 points. I do not accept late worksheets for
any reason.
There will be ten quizzes worth twenty points each. The entire class may
work together on the quizzes (no book or notes). Up to three quizzes can be
replaced by perfect 20 out of 20 based on your attendance. There will also be
five tests worth one hundred points each. On the tests, you will be working by
yourselves. Your lowest test can be replaced by the percentage you get on the
final exam (as long as the percent is higher). This is intended to reward
improvement.
The final exam will be given on Tuesday, Dec 8th during regular class
time. The final is comprehensive and must be taken at the given time. The final
is mandatory and will not be dropped for any reason.
Overall grade point totals:
Homework
Worksheets
Ten quizzes
Five exams
Final exam (comprehensive)
5 pts each
5 pts each
20 pts each
100 pts each
50 max
50 max
200
500
200
1000 pts
900 points guarantees an A, 800 a B, 700 a C, and 600 a D. The actual scale
might be adjusted slightly, but not by much.
Make Up Policy
Homework, in-class assignments, and quizzes cannot be made up or
turned in late for any reason. If you miss a test, this will be the one that is
replaced by the final exam percentage. If you miss more than one test, then I
will start giving make-ups. We will arrange a time for you to make up any
quizzes or tests in the testing center once you get back.
SUPPORT SERVICES:
Heartland Library:
www.hcc.cc.il.us/library
For more information about Library services please call the Library at (309) 268-8200.
Tutoring and Academic Support:
http://www.heartland.edu/asc/
For more information about Testing and Tutoring please call the ASC (309) 268-8410
TENTATIVE FALL SCHEDULE
Aug
18
20
Intro, 1.1 – 1.8
quiz
25
27
Sept 1
3
Oct
13
15
8.4 – 8.5
Test 3 (ch 7, 8)
2.1 – 2.7, IW
quiz
20
22
9.1 – 9.2, IW
quiz
3.1 – 3.6, IW
Test 1 (ch 1 – 3)
27
29
9.3 – 9.4, IW
quiz
3
5
10.1 – 10.3, IW
Test 4 (ch 9, 10)
Oct
8
10
4.1 – 4.9, IW
quiz
15
17
5.1 – 5.8, IW
quiz
10
12
11.1 – 11.4, IW
quiz
22
24
6.1 – 6.7, IW
Test 2 (ch 4 – 6)
17
19
12.1 – 12.2, 13.1 – 13.9, IW
quiz
29
1
7.1 – 7.8, IW
quiz
24
26
catch up day – if necessary
No class - Thanksgiving
6
8
8.1 – 8.3, IW
quiz
1
3
Test 5 (ch 11 – 13)
Final Exam Review
Nov
Dec
Final Exam: Tuesday, Dec 8th, regular class time