Probability
MA 320 Syllabus
1 Instructor
Robert Molzon
Office: POT 933
E-Mail: molzon@ms.uky.edu
Phone: 859 257-1480
Office Hours: MWF 11:15-12:15
2 Text
The text for the course is Introduction to Probability by Charles
Grinstead and J. Laurie Snell. The book is available for free online
at Introduction to Probability http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~prob/prob/prob.pdf.
3 Grading
Your grade for the course will be based on two exams during the semester,
a final exam, and homework. Each of the four components will count
toward 25% of your grade. I will post sample problems for the midterms
and final exams. The homework will be done online.
- Numerical Grading Scale: A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, D 60-69, E below
60,
- Relative Value of Components: Midterm 25%, Problem Sets 25%, Project
25%, Final 25%.
- A midterm and a final letter grade will be assigned.
4 Homework
The homework problems are online at WebWork http://webwork2.ms.uky.edu/webwork2/.
Select the appropriate MA320 course and login with your student AD
user name and your student ID number. For example, if your AD user
ID is JSMITH2 and your student ID is 10771277 , then this is exactly
what you should use to login. You must enter the user name in upper
case exactly as shown in this example.
5 Course Goals
The course is an introduction to probability. We shall cover the basic
ideas of probability that are covered in Chapter 1 through Chapter
9 in the text. A student who earns a grade of A in the course should
be able to pass the first Society of Actuaries examination. I have
provided links to sample SOA exams, and these exams will give you
a very good idea of the type of probability problem you should be
able to work if you have a good understanding of the material.
6 Experiments and Software
A great deal of insight and understanding can be gained in probability
by doing experiments. The experiment can be as simple as flipping
a coin a number of times and keeping track of the outcomes. Generally,
it will be much easier to perform such experiments by using computer
software that does the coin flipping for you and records outcomes
in as much detail as you like.
One particularly useful software package for probability experiments
is R, and it is freely available for download on the CRAN website
CRAN http://cran.r-project.org/. There are many introductory
documents on using R. Here are a few.
Here is how one would flip a coin 100 times in R and count the number
of Heads that you obtain.
coin <- c("H", "T")
flip <- sample(coin, 100, replace=TRUE)
length(which(flip == "H"))
Of course there are many other software packages that can be used
to do experiments in probability. I suggest you find one you like
and become proficient doing simple "coin flip" like simulations.
7 Tentative Course Schedule
- First Midterm shall be held during the 6th week of the course,
- Second Midterm shall be held during the 10th week of the course,
- Final shall be held during the time scheduled by the Registrar,
- Problem sets shall be assigned once per week and are due one week
after they have been assigned.
8 Additional Course Policies
- Course policy of academic accommodations due to disability: If you
have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations,
please see me as soon as possible during scheduled office hours. In
order to receive accommodations in this course, you must provide me
with a Letter of Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center
(Room 2, Alumni Gym, 257-2754, email address jkarnes@email.uky.edu)
for coordination of campus disability services available to students
with disabilities.
- Course policy for attendance: Attendance will be recorded by calling
on students to answer questions in class. If you are called upon but
are not present your absence will be recorded. You are allowed four
unexcused absences during the semester. For each unexcused absence
in excess of four, two points will be deducted from your total course
average that is used to determine your final letter grade. Excused
absences will be given at instructor's discretion only with proof
as defined by S.R. 5.2.4.2. For further information see http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/part2.html
.
- Make-up opportunities: The instructor shall give the student an opportunity
to make up the work and/or the exam missed during an excused absence...
implies the student shall not be penalized for the excused absence.
- Verification of Absences: Students missing work due to an excused
absence bear the responsibility of informing the instructor about
their excused absence within one week following the period of the
excused absence (except where prior notification is required)
and of making up the missed work.
- Course policy for submission of assignments: Students shall return
all assignments on the due date. No late assignments shall be accepted
without an excused absence.
- Course policy on academic integrity: All assignments, projects, and
exercises completed by students for this class should be the product
of the personal efforts of the individual(s) whose name(s) appear
on the corresponding assignment. Misrepresenting others
work as ones own in the form of cheating or plagiarism
is unethical and will lead to those penalties outlined in the University
Senate Rules (6.3.1 & 6.3.2) at the following website: http://www.uky.edu/USC/New/rules_regulations/index.htm.
The Ombud site also has information on plagiarism found at http://www.uky.edu/Ombud.
- Course policy on classroom civility and decorum: The university, college
and department has a commitment to respect the dignity of all and
to value differences among members of our academic community. There
exists the role of discussion and debate in academic discovery and
the right of all to respectfully disagree from time-to-time. Students
clearly have the right to take reasoned exception and to voice opinions
contrary to those offered by the instructor and/or other students
(S.R. 6.1.2). Equally, a faculty member has the right - and the
responsibility - to ensure that all academic discourse occurs in
a context characterized by respect and civility. Obviously, the accepted
level of civility would not include attacks of a personal nature or
statements denigrating another on the basis of race, sex, religion,
sexual orientation, age, national/regional origin or other such irrelevant
factors.
9 Additional Links
10 Sample Exams
File translated from
TEX
by
TTM,
version 3.72.
On 11 Jan 2011, 12:36.