Data Analysis: spring 2003

Statistics 230/530: Data Analysis (spring 2003)

Survey of statistical methods: plots, transformations, regression, analysis of variance, clustering, principal components, contingency tables, and time series analysis. Uses SPLUS and Web data sources. After or concurrent with Statistics 101-106.


Instructor:	David Pollard
Email:	david.pollard@yale.edu
Office hours:	Tuesday 11:00 -12:00 at StatLab; more if needed.
Time:	Monday, Wednesday 1:00 - 2:45 (first session); Monday, Wednesday 2:30 - 3:45 (second session).
Place:	StatLab (140 Prospect Street)
TAs:	Kun Gao and Eddie Valaitis

16 April 2003

Folks,

We have three more classes after today. During that time I'll present
some material that I hope will help you with your final projects.

You should talk with me asap to arrange your project. It is important
that you do not take on something too ambitious for the time available:
the projects are due on 28 April.

I expect that many of you will want to use some part of the FARS data.
You must all work on different topics--no joint work.

The project will count as two problem sets for the final grade.

Please talk with me soon.

DP

Grading

The entire course is built around weekly homeworks and a final project (of modest size). There are no exams.

Points scored on sheets 1 to 4.

Software

The course will be taught using S-Plus. No prior acquaintance with the language needed. Yale students may obtain, FREE OF CHARGE, a copy of S-Plus to install on a (Windows) personal computer. For details, read the directions on the StatLab website.

There is also an implementation of the S language for the Macintosh, called R. It is not as polished as the commercial S-Plus product but it is available for FREE from the CRAN website. (I use R on my Mac laptop.)

Texts and references

There is no single text for the course. Much of what you need to learn about S-Plus can be found in the help menus of the program.

Notes from Splus workshop taught by Marios Panayides.
Need more help with Splus? Try http://www.yale.edu/mstutor/statstutors.html.
Notes written by John Hartigan when he taught Statistics 230/530 in spring 2002.
Freedman, Pisani and Purves, "Statistics".
A good source for statistical ideas that lie behind the scenes. At the level of Statistics 101-106.
Copious documentation in pdf format from the S-Plus web site.
Krause and Olson, "The Basics of S-Plus".
I have seen only an earlier version, which provided a good introduction to an earlier version of S-Plus. When my copy of the new edition arrives, my opinion might change.
Venables and Ripley, "Modern Applied Statistics with S".
Covers a lot about S and the underlying statistical theory. A standard reference, but not easy reading without a good prior grasp of statistics.

Weekly topics

Introduction to S, using data from Census 2000. [start] [Homework due Wednesday 22 January]
Wisconsin breast cancer. [start] [Homework due Wednesday 29 January]
Civil justice survey of state courts. [start] [Homework due Wednesday 12 February]
Yale student grades. [start] [Homework due Wednesday 5 March] [discussion of additive fits to homework scores]
Figure skating. [start]
Traffic fatalities: Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS). [start]
Homework 5: due Wed 2 April
Homework 6: due Wed 9 April

Data sets

DP: 12 Jan 2003