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Welcome to Probability Theory! For course info and policies, please see the syllabus. For grades, log into Moodle. If you need help or have questions, please contact Prof. Wright.
Prof. Wright's office hours: Mon. 12:45–2:00pm in RNS 160R, Tues. 10–11am on Zoom, Wed. 3:15–4:15 in RMS 405, Thurs. 10–11am in RMS 405, Fri. 12:45–2:00pm in RNS 160R, and other times by appointment
Help sessions: Mon. and Thurs. 7–8pm in Tomson 186
February 9
- Complete the Introductory Survey, if you haven't done so already.
- Read the Syllabus and complete the Syllabus Quiz (on Moodle).
- From the textbook, read §1.1 and §1.2, at least through page 10, and watch the accompanying video Sample Spaces, Events, and Axioms. Answer the three questions embedded in the video before class on Friday.
- Take a look at Homework 1, which is due Monday.
February 11
- Complete Homework 1 (due Monday).
- Read §1.3 in the textbook, and watch the accompanying video Counting Methods. Answer the three questions embedded in the video before class on Monday.
Bonus video: John Urschel-NFL Math Whiz
- Begin Homework 2 (due Friday).
- Watch the video Four Types of Couting Problems and answer the questions embedded in the video before class on Wednesday.
February 16
- Finish Homework 2 (due Friday).
- Watch the video Conditional Probability and answer the questions embedded in the video before coming to class on Friday. Also read the examples in §1.4 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 3 (due Wednesday).
- Watch the video Independence and answer the questions embedded in the video before coming to class on Monday. Also read §1.5 in the textbook.
February 21
Bonus video: Eugenia Cheng on The Late Show
- Finish Homework 3 (due Wednesday).
- Watch the video Simulation of Random Events and answer the questions embedded in the video before coming to class on Wednesday. Also read §1.6 in the textbook.
- If possible, bring a computer with Mathematica or R to class on Wednesday.
- Watch the video Discrete Random Variables and answer the questions embedded in the video before coming to class on Monday. Also read §2.1 and §2.2 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 4 (due Monday).
February 25
- Watch the video Expected Value and Standard Deviation and answer the questions embedded in the video before coming to class on Wednesday. Also read §2.3 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 4 (due Monday).
Bonus: video How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking - with Jordan Ellenberg and article The Psychology of Statistics by Jordan Ellenberg
- Review the solutions from the problems in class, especially those involving Chebyshev's Inequality.
- Watch the video The Binomial Distribution and answer the questions embedded in the video before coming to class on Friday. Also read §2.4 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 5 (due Friday).
March 2
- Watch the video The Poisson Distribution and answer the questions embedded in the video before coming to class on Monday. Also read §2.5 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 5 (due Friday).
- Read the Exam 1 Information.
- Complete Homework 6. This homework will not be collected, but it is important for your own practice as you prepare for Exam 1.
- Review the Exam 1 Information.
Bonus video: Hannah Fry — Beautiful equations: how insects walk on water and galaxies form
March 9
- Watch the video The Hypergeometric Distribution and answer the questions embedded in the video. Also read §2.6.1 in the textbook.
March 11
- Watch the video The Negative Binomial Distribution and answer the questions embedded in the video. Also read §2.6.2 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 7 (due Wednesday).
March 14
Bonus videos: Satyan Devadoss — Blue Collar Mathematics and Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries
- Watch the video Moment Generating Functions, Part 1 and answer the questions in the video. Also read §2.7 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 7 (due Wednesday).
- Watch the video Moment Generating Functions, Part 2 and answer the questions in the video. Re-read §2.7 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 8 (due Monday).
- If possible, bring a computer with Mathematica to class on Friday.
March 18
- Watch the video Simulation of Discrete Random Variables and answer the questions in the video. Also read §2.8 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 8 (due Monday).
- Bring a computer with Mathematica or R to class on Monday.
Bonus video: Moon Duchin: "Political Geometry"
- Watch the video Continuous Random Variables and answer the questions in the video. Also read §3.1 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 9 (due Friday).
March 23
- Review the problems and solutions from class.
- Watch the video Expected Values of Continuous Random Variables and answer the questions in the video. Also read §3.2 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 9 (due Friday).
- Watch the video The Normal Distribution and answer the questions in the video. Also read §3.3 in the textbook.
April 4
Bonus video: Francis Su — Mathematics for Human Flourishing
- Watch the video The Exponential Distribution and answer the questions in the video. Also read §3.4.1 in the textbook.
- Complete Homework 10 (due Wednesday).
- Watch the video The Gamma Distribution and answer the questions in the video. Also read §3.4.2 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 11 (due Monday).
April 8
- Review the Exam 2 Information.
- Finish Homework 11 (due Monday).
Bonus video Interview with Karen Uhlenbeck and article Karen Uhlenbeck, Uniter of Geometry and Analysis, Wins Abel Prize
April 13
- Watch the video Transformation of a Random Varible. Also read §3.7 in the textbook.
April 15
- Watch the video Simulation of Continuous Random Variables and answer the questions in the video before class on Wednesday. Also read §3.8 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 12 (due Wednesday).
April 18
Bonus video: Yitang Zhang: An Unlikely Math Star Rises
- Watch the video Joint Distributions and answer the questions in the video before class on Friday. Also read §4.1 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 12 (due Wednesday).
- Watch the video Covariance and Correlation and answer the questions in the video before class on Monday. Also read §4.2 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 13 (due Monday).
April 22
- Watch the video Linear Combinations, Part 1 and answer the questions in the video before class on Wednesday. Also read from the beginning of §4.3 up to the §4.3.1 heading.
- Finish Homework 13 (due Monday).
Bonus video: MEET a Mathematician! - Trachette Jackson
- Watch the video Linear Combinations, Part 2 and answer the questions in the video before class on Friday. Also read the rest of §4.3 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 14 (due Friday).
April 27
- Watch the video Conditional Distributions and answer the questions in the video before class on Monday. Also read §4.4 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 14 (due Friday).
- Watch the video The Central Limit Theorem and answer the questions in the video before class on Wednesday. Also read §4.5 through the end of §4.5.3.
- Begin Homework 15 (due Wednesday).
May 2
Bonus: Why is Mathematics Useful — Robert Ghrist, and Applied Dynamical Systems Vol. 1
- Watch the video The Law of Large Numbers and answer the questions in the video before class on Friday. Also read §4.5.4 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 15 (due Wednesday).
- Watch the video Bivariate Transformations, Part 1 and answer the questions in the video before class on Monday. Also read §4.6 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 16 (due Monday).
May 6
- Watch the video Bivariate Transformations, Part 2 and answer the questions in the video before class on Wednesday. Re-read §4.6 in the textbook.
- Finish Homework 16 (due Monday).
Bonus: Susan D'Agostino book and interview
- Watch the video Order Statistics and answer the questions in the video before class on Monday. Also read §4.9 in the textbook.
- Begin Homework 17 (due next Monday).
May 11
- Work on Homework 17 (due Monday).
- Read the final exam information.
- Finish Homework 17 (due Monday).
- Read the final exam information. Study for the final exam.
Bonus: Living Proof: Stories of Resilience Along the Mathematical Journey
May 20