Lecture: Tue and Thu 2:50pm-4:05pm, Old Chem 116
Lab: Wed 10:05am-10:55am or 11:55am-12:45pm, Old Chem 01
Li Ma
Office: Old Chem 217
Email: li.maPENGUIN@dukePENGUIN.edu (Don't forget to remove the antarctic bird!)
Tel: (919)684-2871
Office hours: Tue 4:05pm-5pm, Wed 2:30pm-3:30pm, or by appointment.
DeGroot and Shervish, Probability and Statistics, 4th edition, ISBN-10: 0321500466.
This course presents an introduction to the concepts and methods of statistical inference. We will cover ideas and methods from both the classical sampling theory and the modern Bayesian approach. The plan is to cover roughly Chapters 7–11 in the textbook.
Proficiency in multivariate calculus based probability theory at the level of STA 104/MTH 135 is required. Homework 1 is for testing your background. For another check here is a past STA 104 final exam. Linear algebra at the level of MTH 104 will also be needed but you may take this course concurrently with MTH 104.
These are located here.
Jingchen (Monika) Hu, Email: jingchen.huPENGUIN@dukePENGUIN.edu , Office hours: Wed 5pm-7pm, Old Chem 211A.
Adrian Chan, Email: adrian.chanPENGUIN@dukePENGUIN.edu, Office hours: Mon 7pm-9pm, Old Chem 211A.
Don't forget to remove the antarctic bird from the email addresses!
Weekly homeworks will be posted on the online syllabus and are due each Thursday at the beginning of class starting from the second week. You must show your work to receive full credit. Late homeworks will be accepted until the solutions are posted online, but will incur a 10% penalty for each day it is late. The solutions will generally be posted on the Monday afternoon following the due date. The lowest homework grade will be dropped.
There is a weekly lab session every Wednesday starting from the second week. The main purpose of the lab is to provide you with a basic training in using the statistical software package R. Occasionally the lab will be used for review. Grading on the labs is based on attendance and participation.
There will be four in-class 20-minute closed-book quizzes. You may use a scientific calculator. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
There will be one in-class, closed-book midterm exam, and a closed-book cumulative final exam. For each exam, you may bring a scientific calculator and a letter sized cheat-sheet (which may be 2-sided).
If you have an unchangeable conflict with either of the exams, you must submit the appropriate university online form (NOVAP, RHoliday) and arrange with me at least one week prior to the scheduled exam. The make-up exam in such cases will often occur before the scheduled one. If you miss an exam due to short-term illness, you should submit the online Illness Form and email and see me as soon as possible to make arrangements. Please note that the typical arrangement in such cases is that your final will count for both the midterm and the final, that is 55% of the course grade.
The course grade will consist of weekly homework (20%), weekly labs (5%), one midterm (20%), four quizzes (20%) and a cumulative final exam (35%). All grades are reported on Sakai.
Discussions on the homework problems are allowed, but you must write down your own solutions independently.
The Department of Statistical Science provides daily walk-in help hours from 4pm–9pm Sunday through Thursday in Old Chem 211A. Detailed information is available here.
Each student is committed to Duke's community Standard. No form of academic dishonesty will be tolerated. Some examples include cheating, plagiarism, and lying about illness or other reasons for absence. Violations of the standard will result in failure of this course and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct.