Stat 151 - Introduction

2024-01-24

Introductions

Introduce yourself!

  • Name / Year / Major

  • What do you hope to learn in this class?

  • Previous computing experience?

  • Should chocolate be considered a vegetable?

My Introduction

  • Susan Vanderplas

  • Assistant Professor in Statistics

  • R user for 14 years, Python user for 2.5 years
    Dabbled in JavaScript, HTML, C/C++

  • I have Prosopagnosia - face blindness

Faces with only hair, glasses, and mouths; no other components (eyes, nose) are present.

Male and Female faces, from Shutterstock

Day 1 Activity: Class Picture!

Syllabus

Contact Info

Course Objectives

  1. Be comfortable using R and/or python for statistical analysis
  1. Write basic programs using logic including for loops, control structures, and matrix arithmetic
  1. Implement basic data analyses in R or python
  1. Describe the sequence of logical or mathematical steps necessary to solve a simple problem
  1. Be familiar with good computing practices, such as version control and documentation

Textbook

https://srvanderplas.github.io/stat-computing-r-python/

Cover image of the textbook

Course Materials

  • Canvas
    • quizzes
    • weekly readings
    • homework/exam submission
  • Course site
    • slides
    • weekly readings
    • homework/exam descriptions

Everything should be cross-linked properly but email me if there’s an issue.

Class Schedule

Outline

Subject to change based on how much programming you are already familiar with…

Tentative schedule of class topics
Date Topic
Jan 24 Getting Started
Jan 31 Scripts & Notebooks
Feb 7 Intro to Programming
Feb 14 Data Types
Feb 21 Data Structures
Feb 28 Control Structures
Mar 6 Midterm Assigned
Mar 7 Midterm Due
Mar 20 Functions
Mar 27 Version Control
Apr 3 Data Visualization
Apr 10 Data Cleaning
Apr 17 Strings
Apr 24 Reshaping Data
May 1 Graphics
May 8 Final Assigned
May 10 Final Due

Grades

Assignments Weight
Reading Quizzes 10%
Weekly Homework & Participation 50%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%

Approximately Weekly Homework – started in class

Academic Integrity / Submitted Work Policy

  • You may (and should!) work with each other on homework assignments

  • Work alone on exams

  • You must be able to explain anything you submit
    At my discretion, I can use a one-on-one discussion of your work to replace the grade for that work.

  • ChatGPT, StackOverflow, Google are tools, but they do not help you think

Programming

Setting Up

Install Course Software

Textbook Chapter: https://bit.ly/3JtGCZR

Next Time

We’ll work on Scripts and Notebooks

Please Read before class: