ST102
Elementary Statistical Theory
This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr James Abdey COL.5.10
Availability
This course is compulsory on the BSc in Actuarial Science, BSc in Business Mathematics and Statistics, BSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, BSc in Economics, BSc in Finance, BSc in Financial Mathematics and Statistics, BSc in Mathematics and Economics, BSc in Mathematics with Economics and BSc in Mathematics, Statistics and Business. This course is available on the BSc in Accounting and Finance, BSc in Philosophy and Economics and BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.
This course cannot be taken with ST107 Quantitative Methods (Statistics) or ST108 Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences.
Pre-requisites
A-level Mathematics.
No previous knowledge of statistics is assumed.
Course content
The course provides a precise and accurate treatment of introductory probability theory, statistical ideas, methods and techniques. Topics covered are data visualisation and descriptive statistics, probability theory, random variables, common distributions of random variables, multivariate random variables, sampling distributions of statistics, point estimation, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear regression, nonparametric tests, goodness-of-fit and independence tests.
Teaching
This course will be delivered through a combination of classes, lectures and workshops totalling a minimum of 90 hours across Michaelmas Term and Lent Term. This year, some or all of this teaching may be delivered through a combination of virtual classes and flipped-lectures/workshops delivered as short online videos. This course does not include reading weeks.
Formative coursework
Weekly exercises will be set and students are expected to submit solutions to their class teacher each week for feedback.
Indicative reading
All course materials are made available via Moodle, including notes to accompany the lectures, but this can be supplemented with additional background reading. The recommended supplementary text is:
Larsen R.J. and M.L. Marx (2013) Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and Its Applications (fifth edition), Pearson (earlier editions are also fine).
Assessment
Exam (75%, duration: 3 hours) in the summer exam period.
Exam (25%, duration: 1 hour, reading time: 10 minutes) in the January exam period.
Student performance results
(2017/18 - 2019/20 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| First | 54.4 |
| 2:1 | 16.5 |
| 2:2 | 10.6 |
| Third | 9.9 |
| Fail | 8.6 |
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: Statistics
Total students 2019/20: 579
Average class size 2019/20: 23
Capped 2019/20: No
Value: One Unit
Personal development skills
- Problem solving
- Application of numeracy skills
