Mathematics
Statistics 564
Theory of Probability
Fall 2019
Course Homepage
Theory of Probability is a core course for the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics and Data Science.
Overview.
In the
Theory of Probability, we shall be using our previous knowledge of calculus and
linear algebra to
consider the central issues in the "science of uncertainty". The
mathematical development of these ideas will be useful in a variety of human
endeavors and serve as essential background for productive work in statistics – probability's
sister discipline.
Goals.
Day to Day Operations.
The
class meets both online and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 12:15 AM
in room 404 of the Physics Building. Our text is Statistical Inference (Second
Edition) by George Casella and Roger L. Berger. We will cover most of the
material in the first 5 chapters of the textbook plus some supplementary
material. A summary of the class notes will be available to the students. The
schedule of topics, the class notes and the assignments are given in the course syllabus.
The
lectures will be capture using zoom technology. Lecture will be both streamed
live and recorded with a link on the course syllabus
page. The zoom meeting ID is 907 541 7171.
Feel
free to stop by my offices, room 522 of the Mathematics building and room S321
of the ENR2 building, calling me at 621-5245 or writing me – jwatkins at
math.arizona.edu.
The
class has a teaching assistant Sara Bredin. Sarah's office is room 723 of the
Mathematics building and her email is bredins at
email.arizona.edu
instructor |
email |
office hours |
location |
Joe Watkins |
jwatkins at math.arizona.edu |
Tuesdays
1:30 to 3:00 Thursdays
1:30 to 3:00 |
522
Mathematics 522
Mathematics |
Sara
Bredin |
bredins
at email.arizona.edu |
Mondays
9:00 to 10:30 Wednesdays
9:00 to 10:30 |
513
Mathematics 513
Mathematics |
Use of Software.
We will be
doing some software computation using R.
R is a free software environment for statistical
computing and graphics. It compiles and runs on a wide variety of UNIX
platforms, Windows and MacOS. To download R, please choose your preferred CRAN
mirror. Other options for software assistance can be found on the resource webpage.
Evaluation of Students.
We shall have 2
proctored midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam on Tuesday, December
17 from 10:30AM to12:30PM.
Homework is an essential
part of any mathematics or statistics course. Homework will be collected
weekly. The homework grade will be based on the top 12 homework scores. For the
assignment, complete the assigned problems plus at least one of the challenging
problems. The Monday office hour will be a session to review the challenging
problems.
Permission to turn in
late homework for credit must be arranged in advance. The grading scheme
is
|
number |
points |
total |
problem
sets |
12 |
25 |
300 |
midterm
exams |
2 |
100 |
200 |
final
exam |
1 |
200 |
200 |
total |
|
|
700 |
Grades will be given on the usual scale A is 90%-100%, B is 80%-89%, C is 70%-79%, D is 60%-69%, and E is below 60%. If you fail to complete the course due to circumstances unforeseen, then you may qualify for a grade of I, "incomplete'" if all of the conditions are met:
Students
should take the time to become familiar with policies and codes of the
University, notably the academic
integrity policy and student
code of conduct. Student with special needs should contact SALT - Strategic Alternative Learning
Techniques Center or the Disability
Resources Center.
Best wishes to you for a good semester in this course and in all your other activities.
- Joe Watkins