I am almost done with my statistics one class at Coursera.com. All I need to do is complete the final exam this week. I learned a great deal of statistics using the R programming language. I also completed a graduate class in statistics at Loyola Marymount University in California on teaching middle school statistics via R programming. I learned a great deal about the R programming language related to statistics and I continue to learn more about the R environment.
To get a better understanding of R programming, I have become interested in reviewing classes that I have taken in linear algebra and linear optimization. I found a great class on linear algebraonline at MIT. This class is taught by Professor Gilbert Strang and all the lectures are online for anyone to view. In lecture one, Professor Strang explains these topics in an easy to understand way and he gives good complete examples on how to work with linear combinations using both row form and column form.
This linear algebra class at MIT is a great review for getting up to speed on matrix algebra. Today I completed the first lecture about using matrices and vectors and how they are used in a linear combination. I hope to go through all 34 videos over the course of the next few months.
From Professor Strang’s Linear Algebra book:
The century of data has begun! So many applications are discrete rather than continuous, digital rather than analog. The truth is that vectors and matrices have become the language to know.
I completed my first assignment in statistics using an R script. I’m enrolled at Coursera in the Statistics class. I have decided to also use RStudio because it helps me to keep track of the many variables and it just seems to be a better learning environment. The challenge in this assignment was to give summary statistics and plot histograms of all eight variables.
To do this, I had to manipulate the data as there were two conditions to deal with. I read many posts and some web sites about what to do and these helped a great deal in using statistics and R. There is no shortage of statistics and R information out there, it’s just that I don’t know which function would be best for my data.
Eventually, I found some other students on the forum and corresponded with them and I compared our scripts. Some students in the class are obviously R programming experts and I have found that I learn the most from reading there posts about how they would attack the problem.
I’m putting some major time into this statistics class and I’m learning a great deal. I think a lot has to do with the fact is that we have real data from a real problem and that motivates me to find the solution.
I’ll start watching the week two statistics lecture videos shortly. These lectures are about correlations and also how to implement these using R. I expect to learn much more about the R programming environment, statistics and writing scripts. My only problem is I’m not getting enough sleep lately.
This summer I’ve had some time to reflect on everything. But it’s the small stuff that keeps my brain going. Interesting facts like the sum of the first eight prime numbers is 77 keeps me thinking and calculating.
I’m always looking for numbers that relate to 77. My wife was born in 1977. I usually check page 77 of books that I’m reading to see if there is anything significant. Last week when I was driving on the highway on the the way to Georgia, it was 77 degrees just when I had driven 77 miles.
The last few months I was tutoring a student in statistics. The class was something I know about but some of the topics were a little rusty. Towards the end of their class, I found myself reading through my old stats book and also doing some additional reading on the internet on Chi-square, ANOVA and hypothesis testing.
This brought back memories of taking my stat classes in college years ago when there was no internet to turn to. I remember going to the college library to read some additional books for some background knowledge.
But now it’s different.
I’ve read so much statistics from the net that I have an even deeper understanding now. I also ordered some statistics books from my favorite book swap store at Paper Back Swap. I’ve been bitten by the statistics bug and I want to know more.
But that’s not the only surprise. While looking for a statistical program to help crunch the numbers, I came across R.
I was amazed.
R is free and it works on my Mac. R is an open source statistical package that is free to use. It also has many niche packages that work with the statistics of science. When I was in college, I had to rent some stat program that wasn’t even that good. So when I saw what R could do, I downloaded it right away to my computer and tried it out. I also use RStudio because of it’s nice interface and to help me with R’s learning curve.
I am finished with tutoring now and my weekends are open. But it’s different now, I’m back on math street but I’m getting on the highway soon.
I’m taking a mathematics training class after school on Tuesday and I’ve developed a Google form document to gather some responses. Let me know what you think about Club 91, Fast 50 and the peg system given in class.
For videos showing how Fast 50 works, click here for part A and here for Part B
Today was the northeast Pennsylvania regional MathCounts competition. It was held at the Penn State Worthington campus in Dunmore. We left school early this morning, around 7:30 am and arrived at 8:15am. After checking in, the team ate donuts provided by the MathCounts and university.
There were thirteen teams competing. They started with the target round, followed by the sprint round. After a short break, the team round was given. My A team was a little nervous, but it turned out, they did pretty good, taking third place overall. For lunch, we all had chicken and pasta in a room adjacent to the student cafeteria. After lunch, it was time for the countdown round. We has one student finish 4th, but did not advance. During the competition, WNEP Ch 16 arrived and took some video. They had a story on the local news tonight and I have the link below.
Update: Our number 5 student will attend the state competition in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on March 18th. Congratulations K. , I know you will do well there.
Here is a cool website where Robin guesses the gift you are thinking of. Take a number between 10 and 99 and subtract the first and second digit. Then use this number to find the corresponding gift. Just think of the gift and Robin will guess what it is.
Click the image to go to the site and give it a try. I’ll give some hints on how this works in the comments. Try it a few times and see if you can find the number theory behind Robin.
Who are the top five most influential mathematicians? I have five in mind that are important and are helpful when teaching math as related to MathCounts. Many students do not know of any mathematicians and I think it is important to teach some of the more important and influential mathematicians. It is also possible to study some of the lesser known but just as important mathematicians, but that would be for a more advanced class. I usually have the students learn some basic facts and the date of birth using the Peg System. Here are my top five.
My first video dealt with dividing numbers ending with zero, such as 30, 40, 50 etc. See part A below. I will now show you how to divide numbers that do not end in zero. This is the math trick that we use in class to try and beat the calculator. It really gets kids interested in some math and it’s great to do when there is only a few minutes left in class. I believe in not wasting a minute of instructional time. My MathCounts team uses this mathematics trick to sharpen their wits and warm up before we tackle the harder problems in practice. I’m also happy to say that my MathCounts team took first place in our region and also finished in the top half at the state competition. Great job. I’m very proud of them for all their hard word.
I use Club 91 as a fun way to sharpen my students’ math skills. If they can beat the calculator, then they can join Club 91. To divide by 91, one must keep in mind that their are two routines to know before you begin. Today, I will show you what to do when the number to be divided ends in zero. The next lesson I will show you what to do when the number does not end in zero. After you give this a try, practice in your mind so you can beat the calculator. Have fun.
