20804241Introduction to Engineering Statistics
Course Information
Description
This is an introductory course with many examples and applications chosen from the engineering disciplines and physical science. The course covers techniques for the collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation of experimental results and develops procedures to deal with the uncertainty present in making inferences and decisions based on sample data. Topics covered include descriptive statistics; probability concepts, random variables and discrete probability distributions; continuous probability and sampling distributions, the Central Limit Theorem; hypothesis tests and confidence intervals for one- and two-sample problems; one-way analysis of variance and basic ideas in experimental design; linear regression, model checking, and inference.
Total Credits
3

Course Competencies
  1. Interpret Basic Statistical Terminology.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you distinguish between a sample and a population
    you distinguish between a sample statistic and a population parameter

  2. Generate Frequency Distributions.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you generate a frequency distribution from a given data set
    you group a frequency distribution into classes
    you calculate the frequency, relative frequency, and cumulative frequency of each class
    you calculate the width and midpoint of each class
    you interpret the frequency, relative frequency and cumulative frequency of each class
    you use technology to generate a frequency distribution

  3. Generate Graphical Representations of Data.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you generate an x-bar chart showing a time series of sample averages
    you interpret an x-bar chart showing a time series of sample averages
    you generate a Pareto diagram and its corresponding cumulative frequency distribution
    you interpret a Pareto diagram and its corresponding cumulative frequency distribution or Ogive
    you generate a dot diagram
    you interpret a dot diagram
    you generate a stem-and-leaf display
    you interpret a stem-and-leaf display
    you generate histograms of frequency distributions
    you interpret histograms of frequency distributions
    you generate a box plot from a frequency distribution
    you interpret a box plot from a frequency distribution
    you analyze a box plot for outliers
    you use a histogram or box plot to estimate measures of central tendency and dispersion
    you demonstrate the connections between information found in a histogram or a box plot and calculated descriptive statistics
    you use technology to generate graphical representations of data

  4. Calculate Descriptive Measures of a frequency distribution.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you calculate the mode of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the mode of a frequency distribution
    you calculate the mean of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the mean of a frequency distribution
    you calculate the median of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the median of a frequency distribution
    you calculate the quartiles of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the quartiles of a frequency distribution
    you calculate the percentile scores of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the percentile scores of a frequency distribution
    you calculate inter-quartile range of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the inter-quartile range of a frequency distribution
    you calculate the range of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the range of a frequency distribution
    you calculate the variance of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the variance of a frequency distribution
    you calculate the standard deviation of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the standard deviation of a frequency distribution
    you demonstrate the relationship between the variance and standard deviation
    you distinguish the population standard deviation from the sample standard deviation
    you use the properties of the mean and standard deviation
    you calculate the coefficient of variation of a frequency distribution
    you interpret the coefficient of variation of a frequency distribution
    you calculate z scores for a frequency distribution
    you interpret z scores for a frequency distribution
    you use the properties of z scores
    you demonstrate the connections between z scores and the properties of the mean
    you demonstrate the connections between z scores and the properties of standard deviation
    you use both Chebyshev's inequality and the percentage points for a normal distribution to estimate the fraction of scores beyond a given z score
    you use technology to calculate the descriptive statistics of a frequency distribution

  5. Use the Definitions and Axioms of Probability.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you distinguish between theoretical and empirical probabilities
    you generate a representation of a sample space of an experiment by listing all outcomes, drawing Venn diagrams, making tree diagrams, or constructing tables
    you use a representation of the sample space of an experiment and the fair experiment or equi-probability model to compute probabilities
    you use the fundamental rule of counting, the number of permutations, the number of combinations, and binomial coefficients to compute the number of outcomes in a given event
    you recognize computations which count the number of outcomes corresponding to a given event
    you formulate and evaluate computations which count the number of outcomes corresponding to a given event
    you use counting rules to compute event probabilities
    you use set theory rules to calculate the probability of unions, intersections, and complements of events
    you distinguish mutually exclusive events from events with non-null intersection
    you recognize conditional probabilities
    you formulate and evaluate conditional probabilities
    you use and interpret Bayes' Theorem for calculating conditional probabilities
    you determine if two events are independent
    you compare and contrast the intuitive notion of event independence from the formal definition
    you distinguish between mutually exclusive and independent events
    you recognize events that are neither independent nor mutually exclusive
    you use a tree diagram to distinguish the probabilities of a false positive and a false negative test
    you use a tree diagram to compute the probabilities of a false positive and a false negative test
    you recognize computations which calculate the reliability of systems consisting of components arranged in series or parallel
    you formulate and evaluate computations which calculate the reliability of systems consisting of components arranged in series or parallel

  6. Use Probability Distributions of a Discrete Random Variable.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you generate the probability distribution of a discrete random variable
    you generate histograms for the probability distribution of a discrete random variable
    you interpret histograms for the probability distribution of a discrete random variable
    you compute the mean of a discrete random variable
    you compute the variance of a discrete random variable
    you compute the standard deviation of a discrete random variable
    you demonstrate the connections between the formulas for the mean, variance and standard deviation of a random variable
    you demonstrate the connections between the formulas for the mean, variance and standard deviation of a random variable and those used in descriptive statistics
    you distinguish a drawing without replacement from a drawing with replacement
    you formulate and compute probabilities of events associated with random drawings
    you recognize when the hypergeometric distribution applies to a drawing without replacement
    you formulate and compute probabilities of events associated with the hypergeometric distribution
    you recognize when an experiment is a succession of simple Bernoulli trials
    you formulate and compute event probabilities for an experiment consisting of simple Bernoulli trials using the binomial distribution
    you calculate the mean of a hypergeometric or binomial random variable
    you calculate the variance of a hypergeometric or binomial random variable
    you calculate the standard deviation of a hypergeometric or binomial random variable
    you interpret the mean of a hypergeometric or binomial random variable
    you interpret the variance of hypergeometric or binomial random variable
    you interpret the standard deviation of a hypergeometric or binomial random variable
    you demonstrate the connections between the formulas for the mean, variance and standard deviation of hypergeometric and binomial random variables and the corresponding formulas for a generic random variable
    you demonstrate the connections between the formulas for the mean, variance and standard deviation of both hypergeometric and binomial distributions
    you use the binomial distribution to approximate the hypergeometric distribution for large populations
    you justify the validity of the binomial distribution to approximate the hypergeometric distribution for large populations
    you state and interpret Chebyshev's Theorem and apply it to a large number of simple Bernoulli trials
    you justify the "Law of Large Numbers" using Chebyshev's Theorem
    you use the Poisson distribution to approximate a binomial distribution with large sample sizes and fixed mean number of successes
    you justify why and when the Poisson distribution approximation is valid for a binomial distribution with large sample sizes and fixed mean number of successes
    you use the geometric distribution to calculate the probability of a first success in a sequence of of simple Bernoulli trials
    you calculate the mean of a geometric distribution
    you use the multinomial distribution to analyze Bernoulli trials with multiple outcomes
    you use technology to compute answers involving discrete probability distributions

  7. Solve Applications Using Discrete Probability Distributions.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you use the concept of a fair experiment to model simple experiments such as coin or die tosses
    you compare the theoretical and empirical probability distributions for a random variable associated with the simple experiments
    you formulate and solve verbally stated applications which require using the hypergeometric, binomial, geometric, multinomial or Poisson distributions
    you use probability distributions to analyze processes such as games of chance, insurance rates, instrument reliability and medical tests
    you use fundamental counting rules and recursion to analyze models of simple experiments
    you use technology to compare the theoretical and empirical probability distributions for a random variable associated with simple experiments

  8. Apply the Properties of a Continuous Probability Distribution.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you distinguish between a continuous and a discrete random variable
    you recognize the connection between the area under a probability density curve and the probability of an event
    you recognize the connection between the definite integral of a probability density function and the probability of an event
    you formulate a definite integral of a probability density function to calculate the probability of an event
    you formulate a definite integral involving the probability density function to calculate the mean of a probability distribution
    you formulate a definite integral involving the probability density function to calculate the variance of a probability distribution
    you calculate event probabilities for a random variable with a uniform distribution
    you relate the mean and standard deviation of a uniform distribution to its parameters
    you estimate the mean of a continuous probability distribution from the graph of its probability density curve
    you estimate the standard deviation of a continuous probability distribution from the graph of its probability density curve

  9. Apply the Normal Distribution.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you use the normal distribution to approximate the binomial distribution for large sample sizes and a fixed probability of success
    you justify why and when the normal distribution approximation is valid for the binomial distribution for large sample sizes and a fixed probability of success
    you compute the area between two scores in a normal distribution by transforming to z scores and using the standard normal distribution
    you determine critical z scores of a standard normal distribution from a stated probability
    you use the probability density function of the standard normal distribution to generate a power series which computes standard normal probabilities
    you use integration by parts to obtain an asymptotic approximation to a standard normal probability
    you formulate and solve verbally stated applications which involve using the normal distribution
    you generate a normal scores plot to check if scores are approximately normally distributed
    you transform data to better approximate a problem with a normal distribution
    you use technology to compute normal probabilities

  10. Apply Other Continuous Probability Distributions.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you calculate event probabilities of a log-normal distribution
    you relate the mean and standard deviation of a log-normal distribution to its parameters
    you calculate event probabilities of a gamma distribution
    you relate the mean and standard deviation of a gamma distribution to its parameters
    you recognize the exponential distribution as a special case of the gamma distribution
    you recognize the chi-squared distribution as a special case of the gamma distribution
    you determine critical scores of a chi-squared distribution from a stated probability
    you relate the mean and standard deviation of a chi-squared distribution to the degrees of freedom
    you calculate event probabilities of a beta distribution
    you relate the mean and standard deviation of a beta distribution to its parameters
    you calculate event probabilities of a Weibull distribution
    you relate the mean and standard deviation of a Weibull distribution to its parameters

  11. Apply Joint Probability Distributions of Multiple Variables
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you verify that a function of multiple discrete random variables is a valid joint probability distribution
    you construct the marginal or individual probability distributions for multiple discrete random variables from the discrete joint probability distribution
    you construct the conditional probability distributions for multiple discrete random variables from the discrete joint probability distribution
    you determine whether two discrete random variables are independent from the joint probability distribution
    you construct the joint cumulative distribution for multiple discrete random variables from the discrete joint probability distribution
    you determine whether two discrete random variables are independent from the joint cumulative distribution
    you compute the expected value of a function of multiple discrete random variables from the joint probability distribution
    you compute the covariance and correlation of two discrete random variables from the joint probability distribution
    you relate the independence of two discrete random variables to their covariance
    you compute the expected value and variance of a linear combination of discrete random variables from the joint probability distribution
    you relate the variance of a linear combination of discrete random variables to their independence
    you verify that a function of multiple continuous random variables is a valid joint probability density function
    you construct the marginal or individual probability density functions for multiple continuous random variables by evaluating a multiple integral of the continuous joint probability density function
    you construct the conditional probability distributions for multiple continuous random variables from the continuous joint probability density function
    you determine whether two continuous random variables are independent from the joint probability density function
    you compute the expected value of a function of multiple continuous random variables by evaluating a multiple integral of the continuous joint probability density function
    you compute the covariance and correlation of two continuous random variables by evaluating a multiple integral of the continuous joint probability density function
    you relate the independence of two continuous random variables to their covariance
    you compute the expected value and variance of a linear combination of continuous random variables by evaluating a multiple integral of the continuous joint probability density function
    you relate the variance of a linear combination of continuous random variables to their independence
    you compute the mean and variance of a sample mean of independent measurements
    you compute the mean of a sample variance of independent measurements

  12. Apply Results of Various Sampling Distributions.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you recognize the importance of random sampling from a population
    you distinguish random sampling with replacement from random sampling without replacement
    you identify the sampling distribution of means
    you represent the sampling distribution of means
    you distinguish the mean and standard deviation of the parent population from the mean and standard deviation of the sampling distribution of means
    you determine the mean of the sampling distribution of means from the mean of the parent population
    you calculate the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of means from the mean and standard deviation of the parent population
    you recognize the significance of the finite population correction factor in the variance of the sampling distribution of means when the random sampling is done without replacement from a finite population
    you verify the content of the Central Limit Theorem by computational simulation
    you use the Central Limit Theorem to compute probabilities for a range of values of a sample mean
    you calculate at a given level of significance a confidence interval for a sample mean in terms of parent population parameters
    you recognize the use of the t distribution to analyze the sampling distribution of means for small random samples taken from a normal distribution with unknown population standard deviation
    you identify the correct degrees of freedom associated with a t distribution
    you demonstrate the connections between the standard normal distribution and a t distribution
    you demonstrate the similarities between the standard normal distribution and a t distribution
    you demonstrate the differences between the standard normal distribution and a t distribution
    you use a table to locate a critical t score given the degrees of freedom and a probability value, alpha
    you identify the sampling distribution of the variance
    you recognize the use of the chi-squared distribution to analyze the sampling distribution of the variance for random samples taken from a normal distribution
    you identify the correct degrees of freedom associated with a chi-squared distribution
    you use a table to locate a critical chi-squared score given the degrees of freedom and a probability value, alpha
    you identify the sampling distribution of the of the ratio of two variances taken from two independent samples
    you recognize the use of the F distribution to analyze the sampling distribution of the ratio of two variances taken from two independent samples
    you identify the correct numerator and denominator degrees of freedom associated with an F distribution
    you use a table to locate a critical F score given the numerator degrees of freedom, the denominator degrees of freedom, and a probability value, alpha

  13. Calculate Confidence Intervals for Population Parameters Based on Sample Data.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you distinguish between biased and unbiased estimators of a population parameter
    you distinguish between the probability of a future outcome and the level of confidence for an estimate based on data already obtained
    you calculate confidence intervals for a population mean in terms of a sample mean and a sample standard deviation for large samples
    you demonstrate the connection between the Central Limit Theorem and confidence intervals for the population mean based on large sample sizes
    you use the degrees of freedom of the sample variance and the t distribution to calculate confidence intervals for population means when the sample size is small
    you state and critically examine the assumptions made in using a t distribution to calculate confidence intervals for population means when the sample size is small
    you determine the sample size necessary to attain a prescribed level of precision for a stated level of confidence
    you use the sampling distribution of differences of means
    you compute the pooled estimate of the variance of two populations of equal variance based on the sample variances
    you calculate confidence intervals for the difference of two population means in terms of the sample means and sample standard deviations for both large and small independent samples
    you state and critically examine the assumptions made in using a t distribution to calculate confidence intervals for the difference of population means based on small independent samples
    you decide when it is appropriate to calculate degrees of freedom based on the Smith-Satterthwaite formula
    you distinguish between independent random samples and a matched pair experimental design
    you calculate a confidence interval for a difference of two population means using a matched pair experimental design
    you use the chi-squared distribution to calculate a confidence interval for a population variance
    you state and critically examine the assumptions made in using a chi-squared distribution to calculate confidence intervals for a population variance
    you use the confidence interval for a population variance to calculate a confidence interval for the population standard deviation
    you calculate confidence intervals for a population proportion in terms of a sample proportion based on a large random sample
    you demonstrate the connection between the binomial distribution and a confidence interval for a population proportion
    you demonstrate the similarities between confidence intervals for a population mean and a population proportion
    you demonstrate the differences between confidence intervals for a population mean and a population proportion
    you examine the adequacy of using a normal distribution in generating a confidence interval for a population proportion
    you determine the sample size necessary to attain a prescribed level of precision in generating a confidence interval for a population proportion at a stated level of confidence
    you calculate confidence intervals for the difference of two population proportions in terms of two independent sample proportions
    you demonstrate the similarities between confidence intervals of the differences of two population means and the difference of two population proportions
    you demonstrate the differences between confidence intervals of the differences of two population means and the difference of two population proportions
    you use technology to compute confidence intervals

  14. Test Hypotheses About Population Parameters Based on Sample Data.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you formulate alternative and null hypotheses from a written statement of a question to be decided
    you recognize Type I and Type II errors
    you recognize the connection between Type I errors and the level of significance
    you distinguish the probability of falsely rejecting the null hypothesis, alpha, from beta, the probability of failing to reject the null hypothesis when the alternative hypothesis is true
    you distinguish between one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests
    you recognize and interpret a operating characteristic curve for one-sided and two-sided alternative hypotheses
    you recognize the connection between two-sided tests and confidence intervals
    you distinguish the observed sample statistic from the corresponding critical score obtained from a probability distribution
    you recognize the appropriate criterion for rejecting the null hypothesis
    you formulate the appropriate rejection (critical) region based on the critical score and the alternative hypothesis
    you perform one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests about a population mean
    you perform one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests about a population proportion
    you perform one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests about the difference of two population means based on independent samples
    you perform one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests about the difference of two population means based on a matched pair experimental design
    you perform one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests about the difference of two population proportions
    you perform one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests about a population variance using a chi-squared distribution
    you use the chi-squared distribution at a given level of significance to test whether the disagreement between theoretical and empirical probabilities is not random (a "Goodness of Fit" test)
    you recognize when empirical and theoretical probability distributions are in agreement based on their graphs
    you provide valid justification for the use of a chi-squared distribution in testing whether the disagreement between theoretical and empirical probabilities is not random
    you test whether two categorical variables are dependent by performing a contingency table analysis using a chi-squared distribution
    you perform one-sided (one tail) and two-sided (two tail) hypotheses tests about two population variances based on two independent samples and the F distribution
    you calculate P-values for hypotheses tests using the standard normal distribution
    you interpret P-values for hypotheses tests using the standard normal distribution
    you estimate P-values for hypotheses tests that use the t, chi-squared or F distributions
    you interpret P-values for hypotheses tests that use the t, chi-squared or F distributions
    you explain the relationship between the stated level of significance of the test and the calculated or estimated P-values
    you recognize the underlying assumptions involved in testing a given hypothesis
    you recognize the underlying limitations involved in testing a given hypothesis
    you use technology to test hypotheses

  15. Interpret a One Way Analysis of Variance.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you recognize a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test whether there are differences in performance due to a single factor varied at more than two levels
    you state and explain the null hypothesis for a one-way ANOVA
    you perform a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test whether there are differences in performance due to a single factor varied at more than two levels
    you interpret the treatment sum of squares and the error sum of squares
    you identify the degrees of freedom associated with the single treatment factor
    you identify the degrees of freedom associated with error
    you relate the null hypothesis to the interpretation of the ratio of the treatment mean square to error mean square
    you construct an ANOVA table
    you use the F distribution in a one-way ANOVA
    you state a conclusion consistent with the one-way ANOVA analysis and the stated level of significance
    you recognize the underlying assumptions of a one-way ANOVA
    you recognize the underlying limitations of a one-way ANOVA
    you examine the sample data to check if there is evidence that the underlying assumptions are not valid
    you use technology to perform the one-way analysis of variance

  16. Determine Which Levels of a Single Factor Make a Significant Difference in Performance.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you test for which treatment means are different by performing multiple pair comparison tests
    you interpret the value of the level of significance used in the multiple pair comparisons
    you explain the value of the level of significance used in the multiple pair comparisons
    you explain the connections between the conclusions of the one-way ANOVA test and the multiple pair comparisons

  17. Set Up and Calculate a Linear Regression Fit of Bivariate Data.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you distinguish between a deterministic and a probabilistic model description of the relationship between a pair of variables
    you distinguish between a control variable (input) and a response variable (output)
    you generate the scatter diagram for a set of paired xy data
    you paraphrase the method of least squares and its connection to the linear regression equations
    you state the underlying assumptions made in the method of least squares applied to a set of paired xy data
    you generate the normal equations and from them derive the equations for the regression slope and intercept
    you compute the regression slope and the regression intercept from a set of paired xy data
    you plot the regression line for a set of paired xy data on the scatter diagram
    you use technology to compute the regression slope and intercept and to plot the regression line

  18. Perform Statistical Inference on a Linear Regression Fit of Bivariate Data.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you recognize and state the underlying assumptions made when performing statistical inference on a linear regression analysis
    you critically examine for a given data set whether there is evidence that the underlying assumptions are invalid
    you recognize the underlying limitations of a linear regression analysis
    you perform statistical inference (calculation of a confidence interval or performance of a hypothesis test) on the population slope and population intercept
    you calculate confidence intervals for the mean response of y for a given x value
    you interpret confidence intervals for the mean response of y for a given x value
    you calculate confidence intervals for a single y measurement (future observed value) for a given x value
    you interpret confidence intervals for a single y measurement (future observed value) for a given x value
    you recognize and quantify the danger of extrapolating beyond the range of experimentation
    you use technology to compute the confidence intervals and to perform the hypothesis testing

  19. Examine the Adequacy of a Linear Regression Fit of Bivariate Data.
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you calculate the coefficient of determination and the correlation coefficient for a set of paired xy data
    you interpret the coefficient of determination and the correlation coefficient for a set of paired xy data
    you demonstrate the connections between the regression slope and the correlation coefficient
    you compute the degrees of freedom associated with the error variation and the explained variation
    you demonstrate the connections between the explained variation, the error variation, ANOVA and the coefficient of determination
    you interpret the results of ANOVA applied to the regression fit
    you plot graphs of the residuals
    you inspect graphs of the residuals for deterministic deviations from a linear model
    (OPTIONAL) you recognize that a linear model refers to linearity in the parameters of the model, not to linearity between the response variable and the control variable
    (OPTIONAL) you a use linear model employing a curvilinear dependence of response variable to control variable
    (OPTIONAL) you determine the form of the curvilinear model from the pattern of residuals
    you use technology to compute the coefficient of determination and to plot the residuals

  20. Correlation Analysis
    Assessment Strategies
    in the solution to a problem on a quiz, homework, project or exam
    Criteria
    you calculate the correlation coefficient for a set of paired xy data
    you interpret the correlation coefficient for a set of paired xy data
    you distinguish the assumptions made in a correlation analysis from those made in a regression analysis
    you recognize the symmetry treatment of x and y in the correlation coefficient for a set of paired xy data
    you distinguish correlation from causation
    you recognize the connection between covariance and correlation
    you use the bivariate normal distribution and the Fisher Z transformation to perform statistical inference about the population correlation coefficient
    you use technology to to perform statistical inference about the population correlation coefficient