Student Resources

UNIT V: Producing Data

Examples

1 Article on the Placebo Effect in Modern Medicine
This link contains a 2000 New York Times Magazine article on the placebo effect. The lead-in to the article is, "A sugar pill for the mildly depressed. Sham surgery for a bum knee. A hand to hold for the flu-stricken. Placebos aren't real medicine, but they can often help patients heal. So why not exploit their power?"

Practice Items

2 Sources of Error in Sampling Multiple Choice Questions
This link contains a set of practice multiple choice questions, with answers, on the sources of error in sampling.

Tutorials

3 Experimental Design Elements Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial on the primary elements of good experimental design.
4 Simulation Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial on conducting simulations of random events.
5 Sources of Bias in Survey Sampling Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial on the types of error that may occur in survey sampling.
6 Stratified Random Sampling Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial on stratified random sampling.

UNIT VI: Probability

eTools

1 Monty Hall Problem Applet
This link contains an applet for the Monty Hall Problem that allows you to simulate the original three-door game, or expand to up to ten doors.
2 Venn Diagram Applet
This link contains an applet that allows the user to explore all of the myriad probabilities that are found in a Venn Diagram by moving around the events A and B to see how the sets and probabilities change. The set which is being shaded may be selected to the right as well. Conditional probabilites are given below the Venn diagram.
3 Venn Diagram Applet
This link contains an applet that allows the user to explore all of the myriad probabilities that are found in a Venn Diagram by moving around the events A and B to see how the sets and probabilities change. The set which is being shaded may be selected to the right as well. Conditional probabilites are given below the Venn diagram.

Practice Items

4 Conditional Probability Example and Practice
This link contains a site with the derivation of the conditional probability formula, examples of using the conditional probability formula, and multiple practice problems on conditional probability that tell you immediately if you have answered correctly.

Tutorials

5 Conditional Probability Tutorial
This link contains an interactive tutorial on conditional probability.
6 Interactive Sample Space Tutorial
This link contains an interactive tutorial on determining the sample space for a given random event.
7 Interactive Theoretical Probability Tutorial
This link contains an interactive tutorial on computing theoretical probability.

UNIT VII: Random Variables

1 Interactive Probability Tutorial
This link contains an interactive probability tutorial. The first part is on using probability distributions. The second part is on unions, intersections, and complements.
2 Probability Distribution Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial on probability distributions.
3 Random Variable Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial on random variables and their probability distributions.
4 Variables Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial that outlines the different types of variables and gives examples of each.

UNIT VIII: The Binomial and Geometric Distributions

eTools

1 Binomial Probability Distribution Applet
This link contains an applet that allows the user to explore the binomial distribution histogram for various values of N and n.
2 Normal Approximation to the Binomial Distribution
Students can change the binomial parameters n and p and see the effect on a bar plot representing the binomial probabilities. The approximating normal distribution (mean np and variance np(1-p)) is overlaid so they can determine when the approximation is good.

Examples

3 Binomial Probability - Calculating "Exactly", "At Most", and "At Least"
This link contains a page that gives step-by-step examples of how to solve binomial probability questions both by using the binomial probability formula and by using the binomial functions on the TI-83/84.

Tutorials

4 Binomial Distribution Tutorial
This link contains a tutorial on the binomial distribution.
5 Interactive Binomial Tutorial
This link contains an interactive tutorial on identifying binomial random variables and calculating their probabilities.