ST 554: Mathematical Statistics I

Fall 2017



Course Info

ST 554
Class Time: T,Th 2:00pm-3:15pm
Class Location: Bidgood 217
Class Website: https://mdporter.github.io/ST554
Instructor: Dr. Michael D. Porter
Office: 348 Alston Hall
Email: mporter {at} cba.ua.edu
Office Hours: Tues 9:00-10:00a (and by appt.)
TA: Yingying Zhang
Office: Bidgood Hall 319
Email: yzhang290 {at} crimson.ua.edu
Office Hours: Monday 3:30-5:00
  Fridays 2:00-3:15p
  and by appointment

Course Prerequisites:

Students taking this course should have a working knowledge of calculus. This includes, but is not limited to: partial derivatives, chain and product rules, stationary points, multiple integration, integration by parts, change of variables, polar coordinates, limits, infinite series. The official UA requirements are MA 125, 126, and 227 (Calculus I, II, III).

Course Description:

This is the first course in the Mathematical Statistics sequence. The focus is on the probability concepts that will be most useful for Statistics. The content will emphasize random variables, probability distributions, moments, transformations, and limit theorems.

Student Learning Objectives:

Students completing this course should be able to understand and work with randomness and uncertainty through probability models, random variables and their distributions, and conditional concepts.

Required Textbook:

Recommended Resources (optional):

Software:

Simulation can be a great tool for helping to understand some of the concepts covered in the course. I recommend R for this task. While not a requirement (no quiz or exam questions will cover coding or computation), I will give several examples of using R in class and will post the relevant R code on the course website.

Both of these programs are free and cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux). Install R first, then RStudio. Use the latest versions of each. There are several good introductory courses for learning R basics:

Course Assessment:

There will be no grade "curving" in this course. However, you will have the option to let the final exam grade replace your lowest midterm exam grade. In addition, the lowest two quiz scores will be dropped. Because of this policy, there will be no make-up quizzes or exams! Attendance is expected.

A: [90-100]%, B: [80-90)%, C: [70-80)%, D: [60-70)%, F: <60%

Course Outline:

Academic Calendar:

Important dates for the semester can be found on the academic calendar: http://registrar.ua.edu/academiccalendar/

Severe Weather Guidelines:

http://uanews.ua.edu/weather

Disability Statement:

If you are registered with the Office of Disability Services, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss any course accommodations that may be necessary. If you have a disability, but have not contacted the Office of Disability Services, please call (205) 348-4285 (Voice) or (205) 348-3081 (TTY) or visit 1000 Houser Hall to register for services. Students who may need course adaptations because of a disability are welcome to make an appointment to see me during office hours. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services, 1000 Houser Hall, before receiving academic adjustments.

Policy on Academic Misconduct:

All students in attendance at The University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University of Alabama expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. At the beginning of each semester and on examinations and projects, the professor may require each student to sign the Academic Honor Pledge. See the Code of Student Conduct for more information.