Mathematics 362K Spring 2014 (Unique ID 56955)
Answers to the final
Instructor: Dave Rusin (rusin@math.utexas.edu)
Office hrs: TTh 2-3, W 12-3, and by appointment, in RLM 9.140 .
(I am usually in my office during ordinary business hours but if you
want to be sure I'm available, let me know in advance.)
Text: Sheldon Ross, A First Course in Probabilility, 9th edition
Class meets Tuesdays and Thurdays 12:30--2:00pm in ECJ 1.204
Course webpage: http://www.ma.utexas.edu/~rusin/362K/
Course description:
An introductory course in the mathematical theory of probability,
fundamental to further work in probability and statistics, includes
basic probability properties, conditional probability and
independence, various discrete and continuous random variables,
expectation and variance, central limit theorem, and joint probability
distributions.
Prerequisite:
Completion of Calculus M408D, M408L, or M408S with a grade of at least C-.
Homework:
I will assign homework approximately once per week; it will
be due one week later unless otherwise indicated. I will drop two
homework scores and average the rest to give you a homework score
(which I will scale to a 100-point scale). If you miss a homework for
any reason that will simply become one of your two dropped homeworks
-- I don't accept late homeworks. I will grade as rapidly as I can but
there are a lot of you... Your homework answers (and test answers) must
show your work and explain your logic. You're not in calculus any more:
get used to expressing your thoughts in sentences and paragraphs!
I promised I would keep a list of the assigned problems online: here
you go!
- Due Thursday, Jan 23
- Due Thursday, Jan 30
- Due Thursday, Feb 06; some answers
- Due Thursday, Feb 13; some answers
- Due Thursday, Feb 20; some answers
- Due Thursday, Feb 27; some answers
- Due Tuesday, Mar 25; some answers
- Due Tuesday, Apr 01; some answers
- Due Thursday, Apr 17; some answers
- Due Thursday, Apr 24; some answers
- Due Thursday, May 01;
Exams:
There will be in-class exams on Thursday, February 27 and
Thursday, April 3. Our final exam will be Thursday, May 8,
2:00-5:00pm. The final exam will be comprehensive, but there will be
more weight on material from the end of the term. You will get a
numerical score on each exam, but not a letter grade (see next section).
Semester grade:
I will weight the components of the course as follows:
15% homework
25% exam 1
25% exam 2
35% final
I will try my best to let you know as we go along how well you're doing
in the class, but please note that I am NOT promising any particular
conversion of numerical scores to letter grades. In my experience, students
underestimate the depth of understanding that I expect of them, and as a
result the numerical scores on the exams tend to be low -- I will likely
be pointing out to you lots of ways that you could improve your answers.
But I do not intend to penalize you guys for having chosen a demanding
teacher -- your letter grades will be similar to those of the rest of
the UT math department: roughly speaking if you are above the mean score
(and that's typically more than half the class) you are an "A" or "B"
student; most of the remaining students are operating at "C" level. I will
always try to tell you when I return an exam which students I think are
in trouble (i.e. performing at a "D" or "F" level).
General Policies
Make-ups:
it is in general not possible to make up missing quizzes or
homework assignments after the due date. If you believe you will have
to miss a graded event, please notify me in advance; I will try to
arrange for you to complete the work early.
Students with disabilities:
The University of Texas at Austin provides
upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified
students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office
of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.
Religious holidays:
If you are unable to participate in a required
class activity (such as an exam) because it conflicts with your
religious traditions, please notify me IN ADVANCE and I will make
accommodations for you. (University policy requires that a student
must notify each instructor at least fourteen days in advance if they
are going to miss required course work due to a religious
observation.) Typically I will ask you to complete the required work
before the religious observance begins.
Academic Integrity:
Please read the message about Academic Integrity
from the Dean of Students Office. I very much prefer to treat you as
professionals whose honesty is beyond question; but if my trust is
violated I will follow the procedures available to me to see that
dishonesty is exposed and punished.
Campus safety:
Please familiarize yourself with the Emergency
Preparedness instructions provided by the university's Campus Safety
and Security office. In the event of severe weather or a security
threat, we will immediately suspend class and follow the instructions
given. You may wish to sign up with the campus alert programs.
Drop dates:
Jan 29 is the last day to drop the course for a possible
refund; March 31 is the last day an undergraduate student may, with
the dean's approval, withdraw from the University or drop a class
except for urgent and substantiated, nonacademic reasons. For more
information about deadlines for adding and dropping the course under
different circumstances, please consult the Registrar's web page,
http://registrar.utexas.edu/calendars/13-14/ I will happily advise
you about whether I think you should drop the course: typically students
with A's, B's, and C's should complete the semester, while students
who are getting D's and F's despite trying all effective
strategies should withdraw. I would love to turn in a semester grade
sheet with no D's or F's!
Note: No student may enroll in any course in the College of Natural
Sciences more than twice, even if the course is needed to meet degree
requirements, without first obtaining the written consent of his or
her major adviser and of the department that offers the course;
students in colleges other than the College of Natural Sciences need
only departmental approval. A symbol of Q or W counts as an enrollment
unless it has been approved by the dean's office for nonacademic
reasons.
Computers:
You'll need a calculator that can handle factorials and
exponentials, nothing more.
We don't make use of sophisticated software in this class,
but if you find this interesting, you are welcome to use the
department's computer facilities. Our 40-seat undergrad computer lab
in RLM 7.122, is open to all students enrolled in Math
courses. Students can sign up for an individual account themselves in
the computer lab using their UT EID. We have most of the mainstream
commercial math software: Mathematica, Maple, Matlab, etc., and an
asortment of open source programs. If you come to my office you will
see me use some of this software to help illustrate concepts. Please
see me if you would like more information.
Student Conduct:
Please come to class on time. If you will be late or
need to leave early for some legitimate reason, please sit near the
exit. Coming and going during class is distracting to your fellow
students, and they do not like it; we know this because they complain
about it. Please do not talk or otherwise disturb students in the
class who are trying to learn.
All computers, cell phones and other
hand-held devices must be put away out of sight during class and
during exams.
Do not cheat. If you are caught cheating, you will be
penalized as harshly as possible under the rules of UT.
Schedule:
You are expected to attend daily and follow along with the
discussions in class; we will vary the pace as needed to ensure student
understanding. But my goal is to cover the following sections according
to the schedule shown, so please read each section BEFORE class:
Jan 14-16: | 1.1-1.4, 2.2
|
Jan 21-23: | 2.3-2.5
|
Jan 28-30: | 2.7, 3.1-3.3
|
Feb 4-6: | 3.3-3.4, 4.1-4.2
|
Feb 11-13: | 4.3-4.5
|
Feb 18-20: | 4.6-4.8
|
Feb 25-27: | review and exam
|
Mar 4-6: | 5.1-5.4
|
Mar 11-13: | Spring break
|
Mar 18-20: | 5.4-5.7
|
Mar 25-27: | 6.1-6.5
|
Apr 1-3: | review and exam
|
Apr 8-10: | 7.1-7.5
|
Apr 15-17: | 7.7-7.8, 8.1-8.2
|
Apr 22-24: | 8.3-8.4
|
Apr 29-May 1: | Review
|
Thurs May 8: Final exam in our regular classroom, 2-5pm