Chapter 1: Stats Starts Here
Things You'll Need
- Intro Stats
- In general, you'll want to read the textbook first, then the accomanying Resources page, but you can check here first in case certain sections of a chapter are optional (this will only be the case in a handful of chapters).
- ActivStats CD-ROM
- The CD that you should find in a cardboard envelope near the back of your textbook; you'll also need the small slip of paper that comes in this envelope. More information (including what to do if you don't find these things in your book) can be found below.
About These Resources
First and foremost, these notes are not a substitute for reading the textbook. Intro Stats was chosen for this course in part because it is a very readable Statistics text and I expect you to read it. Some of you may be in the habit of glancing at an example or two in a math book and then trying to work the homework problems by mimicking the examples. That won't work in this course: you need to read the book.
Technology
No math textbooks have changed more drastically in the past decade or two than Statistics texts. The reason: technology. Calculations that might have taken in excess of half an hour when done "by hand" can now be accomplished almost instantaneously with the press of a calculator button or the click of a mouse.
But which tool is the right one? There are many from which to choose. A calculator is handy: you can carry it around in your backpack, use it in class, on the bus, at the library—wherever you happen to be. Yet the calculator has many disadvantages as well: it takes too much time to enter very large data sets into the calculator; it has no capability to print (unless you hook it up to a computer with a USB cable—but then you might as well be using a computer); there is no "Undo" operation—once you delete data it's gone forever; and in "real life" (that is, outside the classroom) hardly anyone uses a graphing calculator for statistical analysis.
A computer does have many advantages, but unless you have a laptop (and no, you can't use one on the exams, so don't bother asking!) it is impractical to use in the classroom on an exam. Yet since you are viewing these Resources online, you obviously have access to a computer, so when possible we will make use of the resources available to us, in particluar a standalone statistical analysis program (Data Desk) that is supplied with your textbook.
Which calculator should you use? As specified in the syllabus, the TI-84 Plus (or one of its cousins, the TI-83 or the TI-83 Plus). Don't even think about using another calculator: you will waste too much time trying to get it to do what you want it to do (which in many cases will be something that it can't do at all). If you don't already have one, buy one or rent one (contact me about this option—it may be the best $20 you spend all quarter) but get one right away. You will need it when we get to Chapter 4, which is sooner than you think. The textbook includes decent instructions on using many of the features we will need on the TI-84, but sometimes they are a bit sparse (especially toward the beginning of the text, where the authors seem to assume you are already familiar with the basic workings of the calculator). To complement the information included in the textbook, I will include detailed instructions for the TI-83 and TI-84 in these Chapter Resources as we proceed through the course (beginning in Chapter 4).
Which computer program should you use? There are lots of fancy ones like SPSS, SAS and JMP that do many wonderful things, but they are quite expensive (even the student versions). Fortunately, you already have a computer program!
Inside the back cover of your textbook you will find a CD-ROM along with a slip of paper that contains an activation code. You will need both of these throughout the quarter, so don't lose them! In fact, you may wish to write down the activation code in several different places (including, if you don't mind writing in your book, the blank page next to the CD sleeve) just in case you do lose it. If you have the capability to do so, you may also want to burn a copy of the CD-ROM. (I doubt the authors of the textbook will mind as long as it is truly a backup copy for your own use, but technically this may be a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, so proceed at your own risk.)
If the CD and/or activation code are missing from your textbook, take it back to the bookstore for a replacement, or contact me and I will try to help you. The resources on the CD are not absolutely required, but in most cases they should help you succeed in the course.
The CD includes a copy of a program called Data Desk, which I expect you to use when appropriate throughout the quarter. The textbook includes some instructions for using Data Desk, which I will supplement as appropriate in these notes. The truly beautiful thing about Data Desk is that it runs from the CD or a USB drive: you don't need to install it on your computer to use it. This is especially useful if you do your Statistics homework in more than one location (home, work, school computer lab, library, etc.) or you are not allowed to install software on your primary computer. I'll provide further instructions about getting started with Data Desk beginning in Chapter 3.
ActivStats
And speaking of that CD in the back of the book—it also contains an interactive tutorial called ActivStats. Your textbook includes icons linked to ActivStats activities, beginning with the very first chapter. ActivStats is something I encourage you to use as time permits (although it won't count as part of your grade), so you might as well begin right now.
Put the CD into your CD-ROM drive (or DVD drive or CD-burner or whatever—it doesn't really matter) and close the drive door. The program should start automatically.
Click on Launch ActivStats then New student file:
Type in your name, the serial number found on the ActivStats Quick Start Card (the slip of paper included with the CD), select Intro Stats, De Veaux, Velleman and Bock for the Supplementary Text,
and then click OK. ActivStats will suggest a filename (such as Fred.axs if your name is Fred) for the file you will use to store your progress information and suggest that you store this file in your My Documents folder. If you always access ActivStats from the same computer this may work just fine, but if not I suggest you save the file to a USB drive or some other portable storage device that you can easily move from computer to computer.
The two pages in the ActivStats lesson book corresponding to the first chapter of our text (1-1 and 1-2) provide an introduction to ActivStats. Since the program was originally written for the Mac, not Windows, some of the usual Windows-based navigation tools (such as right-clicking to open up a context menu) may not work as you expect. For this reason, it pays to spend a bit of time familiarizing yourself with the program. Pay careful attention to navigating between pages: one icon for moving to the next page is sometimes hidden and you need to scroll down to find it.
If you encounter any difficulties attempting to use ActivStats, contact me and I'll do my best to help you.
Exercises
There are no exercises in this chapter! However, be sure you have read the chapter carefully and be sure to ask any questions you have in class or during office hours.
Additional Resources
- Against All Odds: What is Statistics?
- The first episode of this 26-part series provides a nice introduction to the field of Statistics, offering some motivation for our study of the subject. You will need Windows Media Player and a broadband connection to view this video. You're not required to watch it, but you might find it (and the episodes that follow, as we progress through the course) of interest.
- Decisions Through Data: What is Statistics?
- This series was produced by the same group as Against All Odds and features many of the same case studies, but is broken up into shorter segments. Unlike Against All Odds, not all of the segments are available online. You will need RealPlayer to view these videos; while you can download the files for each available segment, they are each about 7MB, so you will need a broadband connection or a lot of patience! I would recommend watching one or another of these programs but not both, as they are somewhat redundant. In this chapter as well as the rest of the course, I would suggest that you take the time to use these and other additional resources only if you can really spare the study time or if you find them especially useful. Not everyone learns in the same way: some students will find these videos invaluable, while others might consider them a waste of time.
- User's Guide to ActivStats (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- A guide to getting started with the ActivStats program, from the Intro Stats textbook Web site. You can ignore the Data Desk portion for now, as I will include instructions for that program in later Chapter Resources (beginning with Chapter 3).
Throughout this course, please let me know which resources you find useful and which you do not.
Now, let's get started!