TABLE OF CONTENTS
A separate web document describes the Grading System .
 1.    Published Lecture Notes
 2.    Homework and Quizzes
 3.    Absence, Makeup, and Leaving Class Early
 4.    Calculators
 5.    Computers
 6.    Writing a Solution
 7.    Forbidden Forms
          Misuse of the equal sign; confusion of symbols; certain formulas.
 8.    Classroom Philosopy and Decorum
 9.    Test Review Extra Credit
10.   Journal Article Assignments and Extra Credit

1. PUBLISHED LECTURE NOTES              Table of Contents

Students in my sections of MATH 155 will need a copy of my lecture notes: Statistics by Power,  which are published at copying cost and sold in the SU Bookstore. (At the start of the semester, the store will be open later in the day than is usual.)  Unfortunately, my lecture notes cannot be returned the way the commercial book can be. If you are uncertain about your schedule for this semester, you may wish to delay purchase of my lecture notes (a day or two).  Then you must print part of the second chapter .

But as soon as you know you will be staying in this section of the course, go get a copy of my lecture notes.  If there are no copies on the shelf, ask an employee for help to be sure there are no copies in the store.  Do not simply wait for more to come in.  You may order a copy on the bookstore's website.  Follow these instructions:
- Choose the correct term.
- Choose Math 155.
- Choose the instructor Luft
- UNCHECK the books you already have or do not need.  (Only McClave and Luft are required.)

After you buy your copy, check that the pages are consecutive. Each chapter should start on the right and end with some Answers to exercises.  If any pages are missing or misprinted, you are entitled to a replacement of your book.  As soon as you know what you're missing, report the problem to the book store.

2. HOMEWORK AND QUIZZES            Table of Contents

You must try to do some problems before you can know whether you understand the lesson. Read and try to work homework problems as soon as possible after class, so that you will know whether you will need to get help. When you ask for help, be able to say at what point in the reading you failed to understand, or at what point in working a homework problem you didn't know what to do. The ability to formulate good questions is critical to learning.

Ask me for help before it's too late -- on every assignment, if necessary.  But you must allow time to get help, and you must plan when to do it.  I am available many hours during the week: both in scheduled "office hours" and at other times when I don't have a class.  Read my schedule, posted on the web and outside my office door.  Either see me in my office hours (no appointment necessary), or get in touch with me other times in my office by visiting, telephoning, or emailing.  (In scheduled office hours, please come well before the end of the period.)     Read on!

HOMEWORK will be explained at the class meeting when the lesson is introduced, and you should skim the assigned material before that class.  The date on the schedule is the date the lesson was introduced, not the date of the quiz.  Please ask questions, either when a topic is introduced, or between classes.  (Questions will not be answered in class just before a quiz.)  Begin homework as soon as possible after class, to allow time to ask questions before the next class.  Either see me in my office hours (no appointment necessary), or get in touch with me other times in my office by visiting, telephoning, or emailing.  (In scheduled office hours, please come well before the end of the period.)  For problems whose numbers are underlined in the schedule, bring your own computer output to class; write the quiz on this paper, and turn both in together. For these underlined problems, I will not accept hand-written calculations or answers, and I may discard them.  You may occasionally wish to print a small Minitab worksheet for proofreading, but I never want to see one, and I may discard it if you submit one.

Otherwise, homework is not collected, but a QUIZ is given nearly every day, starting at the very beginning of a class, and the problem(s) will come from HOMEWORK on the lesson introduced in the previous class.  When underlined problems are due, bring the computer printout and write your quiz on it.  SAVE YOUR OLD QUIZZES IN CASE I NEED TO SEE THEM.

Please attend the class after a test is given; you will see your test that day, and there will be no quiz that day.  I will recollect the tests, and if you miss that class, you may have to come to my office to see yours.

Free tutoring by advanced students is usually available, starting a week or two after the beginning of the semester, and ending before the final exam period.  Free tutoring is provided in Henson Room 117, typically in the afternoon, on a schedule that will be published after the semester begins.

3. ABSENCE, MAKEUP, AND LEAVING CLASS EARLY     Table of Contents

Missing class will usually make it harder for you to learn the subject, and you will usually miss a quiz in the process.  You are responsible for information missed because of absence. You are expected to arrange your other classes, studying for tests, employment, and appointments with physicians or advisors at times which do not conflict with meetings of this class.
There may be a penalty for students who take a quiz  but then leave class. Attendance may be taken later in the period, and then three points will be deducted from your quiz grade.
Otherwise, absence will incur no special penalty.

Makeup quizzes are are built into the class schedule. For example, if 20 quizzes are "required", by the Grading Policy, and the approximate number of "extras" is 12, you have 12 makeups: opportunities to replace quizzes when you were missing or did poorly.  Please do not ask for additional makeup quizzes!  Nevertheless, if you miss class, you will find it harder to keep up.

Makeup tests may be arranged in case of an emergency, but you must convince me that the cause of your missing the scheduled time was a serious matter. If you know of a problem beforehand, please discuss it with me then. If you miss a test shortly before or shortly after a scheduled vacation, you must document your activities by letters from physicians or court officials. If you just extend your vacation, you will not be permitted to make up the test.

Illness the day of a test is an excuse for missing a test (not a quiz); talk to me about arranging a makeup test (not quiz).  Once you have seen the test, I will not allow you to take a makeup.  Schedule conflict is not an excuse: arrange your appointments so as not to conflict with class!  Other instructors are not permitted to schedule tests or final exams that conflict with this scheduled class.  If this happens to you, I will gladly discuss the matter with the other instructor.

The multiple choice part of the final exam for MATH 155 is given to all students at the same day and time, as published in the university schedule.  If athletic contests conflict with this exam, you must resolve the conflict through the chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

4. CALCULATORS                                         Table of Contents

In parts of this course, every student will need a calculator for homework, quizzes, tests, and class discussions.  Besides the usual  +,-,×,÷ keys, the minimum features are the square root of x, x², and memory keys. It is best if the square root of x and x² are on different keys altogether. But a simple arithmetic calculator with a multiplication key may allow squaring the number in the display by pressing the <multiply> and <equal> keys in that order.
Don't get too many special features, because you won't use them in this course and they may confuse you. The following features cause trouble, but it is very hard to avoid all of them:

(1) MODE. This allows changing the display, but can accidentally make the display unreadable.
        To reset the calculator for normal operation, press these keys: MODE, 9
        To reset the calculator for 3 decimal places, press these keys: MODE, 7, 3
(2) SCIENTIFIC NOTATION. If you square 0.03, the answer 0.0009 may be written 9.00x10^-4, meaning 9.00 with the decimal point moved 4 places to the left. But your calculator may express it as 1.00 - 4, which may at first appear to be a mistake. A proper use of the MODE feature can prevent this accident, but some calculators are not so quick to switch to scientific notation.

5. COMPUTERS                                             Table of Contents

Computer use is an essential part of the course.  This requires spending time in one of the SU computer laboratories: FH102, DH242, or PP108.  Or if you own a powerful enough computer, you may rent MINITAB for 5 months at $25.99.  (Visit the web site  www.e-academy.com/minitab .)  Immediately after the first class, verify that your computer account works.  If not, visit FH149 to have it activated.  Even if you use an off-campus computer, you should set a password on your campus email account, so you can read it from off campus through the web.

When accepting a university computer account, you agree  (1) to use only those files you are permitted to use,  (2) to use the computer only in ways your instructor and the computer monitors tell you, (3) to keep your username and password confidential, (4) not to allow anyone else to use your account, and (5) to report promptly and fully any misuse of the computer that you become aware of.

I will send important email to your campus email account during the semester.  If you want those messages to reach another account, consult the helpdesk for instructions on how to forward your email.

6. WRITING A SOLUTION                        Table of Contents

Writing the solution to a problem in probability and statistics is a valuable skill which must be learned. Your solutions to graded problems will be judged by their logic, clarity, and completeness, as well as the correctness of their conclusion. Please follow these directions.

Define events and random variables by concise verbal statements, such as:
    B = the event that the part selected is bad.
    X = the count of bad parts in the sample
    (X<2) = the event that the count of bad parts in the sample is at most 2.
    X = the count of voters in the sample who favor the incumbent
    X₁ = the count of voters in one interview who favor the incumbent

Summarize relevant information using conventional symbols, or explain unconventional symbols. Draw a table or sketch if appropriate, placing symbols in proper places. Place the steps on the paper in a reasonable order. State the final result or conclusion, using words and previously defined symbols in appropriate combination.  Always compute a standard deviation to at least three significant figures.
Learn the meaning of these common symbols for numbers.
% means .01 or 1/100,  while k means 1000, so kk means 1,000,000.  Avoid M, which is ambiguous.

Hypothesis Tests must be completed with both hypotheses, if you compute the p-value without a computer.  A conclusion is always required, and must always mention the p-value.

7. FORBIDDEN FORMS                          Table of Contents

Even if a solution is otherwise correct, the following mistakes may cause a partial loss of credit:
-- Using an "equals" sign between expressions that are not equal:
          2.5 = .4938 or B=.5 when B is an event, not a number
-- Confusing probabilities with events
-- Confusing a sample mean with a population mean

Certain formulas are not to be used in this course, though they may appear in a commercial textbook:
-- "Computing formulas" for the sample variance which compute squares of observations.
         (Instead, compute squares of individual deviations from the mean.)
-- Factorial abbreviations of products of successive integers: 5!=5x4x3x2x1=120
-- Formulas for the end-points of a confidence interval which explicitly mention a test statistic z or t .
         (Instead, compute the margin of error in a separate step.)

8. CLASSROOM PHILOSOPHY AND DECORUM        Table of Contents

You are expected to submit for grading papers which are your own work.  If you study with others, be sure all of you are learning.  When writing a quiz or test, sit with eyes front.

The purpose of this class is learning in a pleasant intellectual environment. Students should feel comfortable thinking about the subject matter and asking questions. Some questions are to clarify statements made by the instructor. Other questions are to explore difficulties encountered in doing homework. Of course, the student is expected to come to class and afterward make an effort afterward to understand the material. But certain questions of clarification are best asked as soon as they occur to the student.  Other questions are best asked outside class.

To facilitate class discussion, you are encouraged to speak up without raising your hand. Simply find a pause in the lecture, as you would in a conversation. If this seems awkward, because the lecture is moving quickly, or because others are asking questions too, then raise your hand. I will be scanning the faces of students and call on you.

Private discussions apart from the academic purposes of the class may be good if they help the class members to be comfortable with each other. But they may be bad if they make others uncomfortable, interfere with class discussion, or distract the instructor. Helping another student during a class may interfere with the class if it is too loud or lasts too long. Even quiet discussions during a lecture or class discussion can be very distracting. But conversation is appropriate when students are asked to work a problem at their seats during class. Appropriate communication is well-timed, brief, and not loud.

Sitting in the back of the classroom does not absolve a student from controlling his private discussion. Sitting in the back of the room is discouraged, because it can make participation difficult, especially if the room is large. During a test, students sitting in the back row should be separated by empty chairs.

Class discussion is comfortable only if participants show respect for each other. This means speaking kindly, taking others' ideas seriously, and assuming they speak with good will. It also means controlling private discussions so that they do not interfere with the class. Students who fail to cooperate with these rules are interfering with the education of others.

Clothing in class:  Students who want to wear hats with brims in class must put the brims in back.  Women are asked to dress modestly.

9. TEST REVIEW EXTRA CREDIT          Table of Contents

When you study for a test, work a problem from each lesson on the test: either old homework problems or extra credit problems (see next paragraph). The lessons covered on each test, together with suggested review problems, appear on the web in the test plan for the particular test.  Ask for an extra credit problem as soon as you can choose a topic.

Before each test, there will be a review class largely devoted to extra credit presentations in class by students. In some of these reviews, you may receive extra credit  for discussing a problem as described under  Test Topics .  Each time, you can earn extra points to be added to your total grade.  You are limited to one extra cedit per review, and there may not be time enough for all interested students on the later tests, so consider doing some extra credit for the first or second test.

The first step is to CHOOSE A TOPIC from the review list. You may make up your own problem or choose one from the list provided, but let me approve your choice, so that two people don't do the same problem.   Use problems like homework problems (on the topics of the test), but not homework problems already assigned.  It is your responsibility to avoid homework problems, or you will not receive the extra credit.  Suggested problems will appear on the web in the test plan for the particular test.  You may ask me for help if you allow enough time.

Try to fit your solution on one side of a sheet.  If you are short of space, it is not necessary to state the question on your solution sheet, but do indicate where the question is to be found.   When you have worked out your problem on an ordinary sheet of paper, make a master copy in ink; put your name at the top center and sort number at the top right corner of the master. Then make enough "Xerox" copies for the class (ask me how many), and bring them to me at the beginning of the review class.  I expect you to make the copies in time and pay for them.  Do not use a departmental machine; use copiers in places like the Henson food court, Blackwell Library, Kinko's, or Mail Boxes Et Cetera.  If you come to class without copies, you will not receive the extra credit.  If you cannot do the problem, please tell me so someone else can do it.

Don't read the solution to the class, but point out the salient features of the problem.  What was hard about the problem?  What approaches helped you solve it?  What principles and techniques does it use?

10. JOURNAL ARTICLE ASSIGNMENTS AND EXTRA CREDIT     Table of Contents