MATH 251, Probability and Statistics I, Fall 2007, Oct. 10, Day 20 After class

Reading   Read  3.4.  Now, 4.1, 4.2.  I am assuming this is familiar to everyone,  so I've given a small amount of HW, and optional problems.  Note, the text uses (A and B) where you may be used to (A intersect B), (A or B) where you may be used to (A union B). Next, read 4.3, Random variables.
Hand in:

Sec. 3.4 p. 240ff
3.62, 63, 64, 65 parameter/statistic
3.66 bias/variability
3.75 grades sample:  Take 3 SRS's and find their means: i.e. repeat part a 3 times.   To start, decide which way you'll read in Table B. Then close your eyes and put your finger  down in the table to pick your starting place.  Bring your results to class to pool, to get an idea of the "sampling distribution of the mean of an SRS of 4 grades". 
3.70 n = 61,239
3.68 Canada/U.S.

3.71 b,c (sample means for Workers) This file is not in SPSS form, though it is in Text form (Appendix folder).  Skip part a.

3.73 Applet coin flips.  Take 5 samples, not  50, for each of parts a and b, and we'll pool them next time.  Do a dotplot instead of a histogram since you have so few points.

Review: p. 247ff
3.84 study type
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sec. 4.1, p. 258:

4.6 proportion, not count, settles down

Postpone the rest: (but we covered 4.13&15 in class)
Sec. 4.2, p. 271 ff.
4.11 sample space
4.13 blood type
4.15 prob. assignments

equal likelihood and independence
4.12& 4.20, D&D
4.14 blood type again
4.32 GR...

Read, discuss 

3.69 states

p. 247ff
3.93, 3.94, 3.95

- - - - - - - - -
Some situations where the probability
 is not "obvious" from a model :
p. 257, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.7

Optional





- - - - - - - -
More of the same:
4.10, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18

Blood type inheritance, 4.36-39



Project * Handout: * Final paper 9:30 am Friday Oct.12, Day 21.  Back side of handout is checklist for technical stuff--but the main focus of your project should be WHAT does the data set tell us about itself?
Presentations?
Probably W or F next week--10 min. max.  Show and tell.
   What your data set "is" and 1 or 2 results:  The most interesting, or the most curious or surprising thing, or the most clever or sophisticated or different thing you did to the data to look for meaning. AND (if applicable) the thing that almost tripped you up and what you did to deal with it...
Homework questions?  Day 19

3.4, Toward Statistical Inference.  Details Day 18 
Outline: 
Day 19
3.4 conclusion
Note,   Sample size determines variability of sampling distribution: Population size doesn't matter p.238 (as long as pop. is at least "100" times the sample size (even at 10 times, you still aren't getting enough of the population. to have much effect.)  A spoonful of soup gives you just as good a sample, whether from a small pot or a caldroun.  A toothpickful of soup is just as bad...

Recall: Random number distributions have more variability than you might expect.  Pickadigit.htm
   Sample means and proportions are also variable.  We'll be able to put numbers on this variability soon.

Pooled data: 
   #3.77 Means from samples of size 20, CSDATA  GPA means data,   GPAmeans histogram
   Results = part of Sampling distribution of the statistic which is used to estimate   the parameter µ.

Chapter 4: Probability

 Sec. 4.1
Random phenomenon= Chance mechanism. Any individual outcome is uncertain, BUT in a large number of repetitions, a regular distribution of outcomes occurs.
Variability happens.  In the long run it settles down.
 
Probability of any outcome of a random phenomenon:   proportion of times it would happen in a very long series of independent repetitions (trials) of the phenomenon: Long-term relative frequency.
(This is the "frequentist" interpretation. Mainstream)
   (independence:  outcome of one trial must not influence the outcome of any other.)
http://www.whfreeman.com/ips5e/, Probability applet

Fuzzy word:  Random numbers  are each equally likely.  A random phenomenon  doesn't necessarily have outcomes that are equally likely--all that is needed is that their relative frequencies settle down to something.

Sec. 4.2, Probability Models

A Random phenomenon:  
Sample space S= Set of all possible outcomes.
  (List or description, no overlaps )
  Event = outcome or set of outcomes (subset of S)
  Probability model: S, and a way of assigning a probability to each event.

Probability rules (axioms):  A an event in sample space S, P(A) is "the probability that  A occurs" p. 262
    1.  0 < P(A) < 1
    2. P(S) = 1
    3. A and B are  disjoint if they have no outcomes in common (can't happen simultaneously.)
        If A and B are disjoint, their probabilities add:  P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B)
    4. For any event A, P(A does not occur) = P(Ac) = 1 - P(A)    Ac = "A complement"

ANY method of assigning probabilities to sets must result in a system that obeys these.
Note:  All the following obey Rules 1 thru 4:   All can be used as metaphors or models for probability models.
           Area   (If area of whole space is 1)  Venn diagrams of Axioms
          Volume (If volume of whole space is 1)
           Weight (If weight of whole space is 1)
           Proportion (count of items in set/ total count)

Equally likely probabilities:  If there are k possible outcomes, and each is equally likely, each has probability 1/k (Dice, coin, etc. Plenty of things are not equally likely.)

Pick one person from U.S. Pop. (Age 25 +)  Note how we 
can change a population distribution into a  probability mechanism by saying "choose an 
individual at random from the population. " 
(problem 4.17--different pop.)
Sample space:
No HS degree
       HS only     .
1-3 yrs College
 4 + yrs College
Proportion in pop.
18.3%
33.9%
24.8%
23.0%
Probability 
.183
.339
.248
.230
P(No 4-year "degree") = ?
P( HS or less) = ?

Finite sample spaces (you can list the outcomes):
Assign a probability to each outcome (>0) so they add to 1.   (Sometimes equal values--"equally likely" make sense.)
    Prob. of an event is sum of prob's of its outcomes.

Start here Friday:

Phenomenon: Flip coin twice.
    S1 = {HH, HT, TH, TT}     S2 = {0, 1, 2} number of heads   S3 = {Y, N} both are heads?
Sample space  | HH | HT | TH | TT |
       Prob's | .25| .25| .25| .25|  P(tail followed by head)=?
Sample space  | 2  |    1    |  0 P(at least 1 tail)=?   P(1 of each) = ?
       Prob's | .25|   .50   | .25|  P(at least 1 Head)= ?  P(2 Heads) = ?
Sample space  | Y  |       N      |
       Prob's | .25|     .75      |

Flipping-coin-twice was built from a simpler phenomenon; flipping coin once: P(H) = .5, P(T) = .5
        \second
 
first   H    T
    H | HH   HT 
    T | TH   TT    

Rule 5. Multiplication rule for Independent events.  If A and B are two independent events, the probability that both A and B occur  is the product of the probabilities of the two events.  P(A and B) = P(A)×P(B), if (and only if) A and B are independent.
   Independence (rule 5: Multiplication rule) is used two ways :
    (a) When building a complex probability model from simpler ones,  using the mult. rule to assign probabilities .
    (b) Checking if two events are independent in a known model, by seeing  if the mult. rule holds.

(a). Pick 2 people at random from U.S. pop.  (Pop. is so big that it's hardly changed by removing first. Independence OK)
   P(First has 4+ yrs college, and 2nd didn't graduate HS) = .280×.183 = .051
   P(First didn't graduate HS, and 2nd has 4+ yrs college) = .183×.280 = .051
   P(one didn't graduate HS, and the other has 4+ yrs college) = .051+.051= .102
 
(b)  Working Status vs. Sex.  Choose one person:  Is being a Woman independent  of being in the Labor Force?
P(Woman) = 500/1000 = .5, P(In L.F.) = 800/1000 = .8.  Product = .40 
P(Woman and In L.F.) = 350/1000 = .35  Not equal to .40, so not independent.  
  population of 1000
Women Men Total
In Labor Force 350 450 800
Not in Labor Force 150 50 200
Total 500 500 1000

Statistics  question: if the 1000 is a sample from a larger population, is the difference from independence we see great enough to exclude the possibility that  Women/In L.F. are independent in the population; or is the difference just the result of sampling variability?


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