Abstract This paper explains how, in schools, statistical education is primarily taught in mathematics, yet statistical ideas are used in other subjects, including science and economics. It discusses why teachers and researchers need to constantly work towards improving statistical education, leading to a great deal of research in the field. This paper examines existing research to determine how statistical education research can be improved in the future.
From the Paper "Statistical education has become an important part of curriculums in all levels of education. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, statistical literacy is now a key objective in many classrooms. As a result, statistics is now being taught across various disciplines and is rapidly becoming a prerequisite course for graduation, regardless of a student's major. The teaching and learning of statistics has recently increased dramatically in many schools. As a result, many U.S. states now emphasize and include statistical thinking in their statewide curriculum guidelines."
Abstract Discusses background and definitions, theory in scientific inquiry, applications of quantitative statistical methods, descriptive statistics, statistical inference techniques, internal validity, measuring instruments, and reliability.
From the Paper "This paper reviewed concepts and issues involved in research design and statistical analysis. The discussions covered ..."
This paper highlights the facts and information of mathematics curricula and takes a broader look at the use of Internet technology in mathematical learning.
Abstract This paper explains the position that the Internet is on the brink of playing a role in sustaining inquiry-based mathematical classrooms, as well as to caution educators away from guidelines that have been established as unprofitable. The paper begins by unfolding wide themes that have surfaced from the work in relation to mathematical educational employment of the Internet, and then inspects how these themes occupy themselves in a particular classroom. The paper ends with the consideration of how scientific developments in education should introduce high-quality, skilled teachers, who are prepared to make use of these novel technologies to encourage student learning.
From the Paper "Educational philosophy has developed all through the last decade of research. This research has made analysts believe that the Internet will not give an easy way to enhanced education; the analysts have come to consider that people-to-people relations and particularly face-to-face contact play a vital responsibility in education. Alternatively, a number of analysts have turned out to be even more overwhelmed by the influence of the technology and remain persuaded that this authority will eventually be controlled for the development of education. Whilst technology develops rapidly, on the other hand, the human aptitude to recognize, formulate, as well as integrate these changes develops gradually. Access to remote resources-- peers, images, experts, texts, teachers, as well as data--is quickly turning out to be a commonplace, nevertheless, the consideration of how to make superior utilization of these capitals is barely gradually emerging. The time necessary for the growth, modification, and acceptance of suitable novel pedagogies might be a decade or more (Bruce & Rubin, 1993)."
Abstract This paper explains that tracking is an extremely common and widespread system whereby students are divided up among different classes and teachers according to their abilities. The paper uses a group of 20 students, with varying ranges of abilities in mathematics, and they are divided into 3 groups according to the tracking system. The paper lists the results of the study and summarizes the benefits and failures of the system. The paper ends with the results of the study, student-by-student, with statistical analysis as well.
From the Paper "Poor student performance is one of the most pressing problems in American education today. In particular, math scores lag behind those of other developed nations. (Kodrzycki, 2002) Without a proper understanding of math, and mathematical concepts, today's students will find themselves unable to compete in an increasingly technological world. They will not be able to find jobs, nor will American industry be able to compete successfully against its foreign counterparts. Though it is an essential part of the educational process, the how-to of improving students? mathematical skills remains problematic. (Stotsky, 2000, p. 44) Numerous approaches have been tried, but not all have been successful. One of the most popular methods is that known as Tracking ? an extremely common and widespread system whereby students are divided up among different classes and teachers according to their abilities. Tracking is rare until the Middle School Level, after which it becomes the norm."
Tags: teacher, math, poor, social, standard, american, school
A look at the importance of statistical information to businesses and how it allows managers to collect, analyze, and interpret data vital to their company's success.
Abstract This paper discusses the importance of statistical information to a company's growth and success. The paper explains how a manager with statistical skills will have a significant business advantage, since business decisions are often based on inferences from data. The paper further explains the many applications of statistical tests and how the the premise for many of these tests relates to two concepts, probability and the normal distribution. Finally, the paper explains both concepts and how these concepts form the basis of most statistical tests.
From the Paper "A manager must often estimate the characteristics of a population based on information provided by a sample chosen to yield an estimate of population characteristics. Confidence intervals are a mathematical statement of the level of confidence around the estimate. Today's global businesses face dynamic and complex markets. The environments in which these enterprises compete are constantly changing. Successful firms can develop strategies that enable them to be flexible in the changing world. These are firms that manage changes instead of reacting to changes. In order for firms to become proactive in change management, they must be able to quickly analyze different strategies and the impact of different scenarios on the firm's performance. For companies in high technology industries, the dynamic and highly uncertain nature of their businesses makes rapid decision making a key for survival. Thus, it is crucial that businesses develop the capability to analyze business decisions and environments quickly without relying on costly, time-consuming studies and research."
Abstract This paper provides an overview of casinos and casino games and a discussion of vigorish, or the amount of advantage the house has over the gambler. An analysis of how mathematics and statistics can be used to further improve these chances is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
From the Paper "The casino of the 21st century may also be called a gambling, or gaming, house or club; these are places where people can risk their money against a common gambler, known as "the banker" or "the house". Casinos around the world have an almost a uniform character (Casinos 2004). According to Barker and Britz (2000), casinos are able to calculate their handle for slot operations because the revenue accounting of the win-to-handle ratio is accurately known. Drop and handle are frequently confused terms; however, there is an important distinction between the two. "Handle is the total amount wagered, or bet: A chip may be wagered (bet) many times before the game goes to a decision and the chip is won or lost" (Barker & Britz 6). Video gaming machines are set to report the coins/cash going in and the coins or payouts going out; however, the handle for table games is calculated differently."
This paper discusses the life and works of one of the most instrumental contributors to mathematical and scientific theory in the last few centuries, Sir Isaac Newton.
Abstract This paper explains that Sir Isaac Newton advanced a whole new system of mathematics, including systems of physics and calculus, which were revolutionary during his time and continued to be
observed long after his death. The author points out that one of Newton's most significant contributions is his basic laws of motion often call Newton's Laws. The paper relates Isaac Newton would never have described himself as a 'scientist' because the word was not coined until more than a century after his death; he was a reclusive Hebrew scholar and Classicist who wrote more about alchemy and theology than the natural world, and his posthumous reputation is riddled with contradictions.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Life of Mathematician
Significant Contributions
Comparison to Present System
Conclusion
From the Paper "Newton's laws of motion can generally be described through example and demonstration and represent a continuation of thought and inquiry into questions of physics. For example, many scientists before Newton could think of explanations for the continuation of movement of a given object due to force and velocity, but could not demonstrate it in a scientific way in the same way that Newton could with his laws of
motion. Using force and velocity, Newton made important mathematical relations that showed up in real world examples. For example, if someone was riding on a horse, they were going the same speed as the horse, then their velocity remained constant, but if something changed their velocity, it would differ from the velocity of the horse, and they
may change velocity in direction of proportionate force. Newton also contributed the commonly repeated maxim that each and every force (action) has an equal and opposite force (reaction). This is a very significant contribution because it represents a basic precept of modern physics."
Abstract Data visualization is the use of interactive, sensory representations, typically visual, of abstract data to reinforce cognition. That, in itself, is a method or technique of decision-making. To further break it down, the most popular and widely used tool of data visualization is the pie chart. This paper presents an introduction of the pie chart and it's most common applications. It explains when it should and should not be used and provides examples in color.
From the Paper "Pie charts work well when the values of the percentages of the whole differ greatly from each other. In other words, you do not want your pie values to be within one or two digits from each other, which would be indistinguishable on the chart to the naked eye. Another moniker for pie charts is: do not use a pie chart when there are more than six parts to the whole. Having too many values for comparison on the chart will distract from the clear simplistic message and instead offer a complex confusing assortment of data."
Abstract This paper discusses the importance of cryptography, explaining that it can be divided into two branches, transposition and substitution. The writer explains how knowledge of cryptography has spread and its uses today.
From the Paper "In transposition, letters in the message is rearranged, generating it into an anagram. Transposition has a weakness in that small words have a small number of ways it can be rearranged, which makes deciphering messages with very few letters easy; deciphering messages with a large number of letters would be nearly impossible since there may be millions of combinations that the message can form. The alternative to transposition is substitution. One of the earliest uses of a substitution cipher is the Caesar Shift Cipher, where messages were encoded by replacing each letter in the alphabet with the letter three places along. A cipher or encryption method is a procedure method for altering a plaintext message into cipher text by changing the letters of the plaintext using a transformation."
Abstract This paper explains that, inevitably, bridges deteriorate over time at different rates: Timely maintenance activities, which are well-planned and carried out with minimal disruption to road users can present substantial savings in terms of both time and money for both bridge owners and road users. The author ponts out that, to tackle the complicated issues regarding bridge management, research activities in the UK as well as other countries in continental Europe concentrate largely on the bridge management process, with attention given to improving the use of limited finances to maximize the returns from the maintenance and repair of the bridge stock as well as reduce additional costs due to traffic delays and lane closures for these activities. The paper includes a critical review of other BMSs used worldwide, development of models to predict bridge condition over time, analysis of the various road user costs and using different optimizing techniques to best allocate finances and optimize bridge performance. 39 tables. 40 figures.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Objective
Bridge Conditions in the U.K.
Introduction
Maintenance and Upgrading
Expenditure
Department of Transport (DoT) Programme
What is a Bridge Management System (BMS)?
Introduction
Department of Transport Structure
Maintenance Agents
BMS in the U.K. and Other Countries
Introduction
Bridge Condition
Other Information in BMS's
Condition Prediction
Cost Models
Decision for Maintenance and Repair
Prioritization
BMS in the U.S.A.
BRIDGIT System
PONTIS System
SMIS System
Inventory
Inspection and Assessment
National Structures Programmes (NSPs)
Prioritization
Project Creation
Whole Life Assessment and Costing
Activities Schedule
Data Accuracy
Design Specifications
Access
Integration with External Systems
Bridge Inspection and Assessment
Bridge Inspection Types
Defects
Bridge Scoring
Introduction
Definitions
Bridge Condition Score (BCS)
Bridge Condition Index (BCI)
Bridge Stock Condition Index (BSCI)
Multi Span Bridges
Bridge Scoring Example
Interpreting BCS's
BCS Results
Histograms for Bridge Stock
Interpreting BCI's
BCI Results
Interpreting BSCI's
Predicting Bridge Condition with Time
Introduction
Markov Chain Approach
Example Calculation
Bridge Condition Example
Bridge Condition Results
Bridge Aggregation Example
Bridge Aggregation Results
Bridge Stock Example
Bridge Stock Results
Traffic Costs
Introduction
Traffic Count Example
Traffic Count Results
Traffic Delay Cost Examples
Delay Costs Results (1st Example)
Delay Costs Results (2nd Example)
Accident Cost Example
Accident Costs Results
Environmental Impact
Introduction
Emissions Example
Emissions Results
Decision-Making and Prioritization
Decision-making
Introduction
Prioritization
Introduction
Dynamic Programming
Budget Allocation Approach
Budget Allocation Results (1st Example)
Budget Allocation Results( 2nd Example)
Budget Allocation Results ( 3rd Example)
Improvements to Budget Allocation Approach
Introduction to BCI optimization approach
Service Potential (BCI) Examples
BCI Optimization Results (1st Example)
BCI Optimization Results (2nd Example)
BCI Optimization Results (3rd Example)
Maintenance Costs Examples
BCI Optimization Results (4th Example)
BCI Optimization Results (5th Example)
BCI Optimization Results (6th Example)
Conclusion
Future Research
From the Paper "It is proposed that the transition probabilities to be used are the Bridge Condition Index (BCI), which operates on a linear scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best). The degree of severity of bridges is linearly distributed over this range (i.e. BCI of 50 to 51 is the same as 90 to 91), except that costs are expected not to have a linear distribution. This is a useful approach as the BCI (average) is interpreted as 'service potential' and is used as a performance indicator.
Using the example for multi span bridges earlier on, the transition probabilities for a three-state Markov chain model with limiting stage value of 3 is proposed. The probabilities are in accordance to the BCI values for the 'good' bridge arranged in order of descending magnitude (i.e. P(1) = 0.9845 and P(2) = 0.9246). For the purposes of comparison, the other two bridges ('medium' and 'bad') are also modelled and the three are plotted together."
Abstract This paper considers ways in which metrics are used to track performance in business. It describes what metrics measure and argues that without metrics to track performance, business plans and goals are ineffective.
From the Paper "Without metrics to track performance business plans and goals are ineffective ..."
Abstract This presents an overview of Galileo's birth, family life, upbringing education and cause of death. The author points out the countries in which he lived and worked. The paper examples of Galileo's contributions and most important works.
From the Paper "According to Al Van Helden online, Galileo was born in Pisa, Italy, on February ..., the first of six children. While his family belonged to the nobility, it was not rich as his father was a musician. Once he was old enough to be educated in a monastery, his parents sent him to the Camaldolese Monastery at Vallombrosa. The Camaldolese Order combined the solitary life of the hermit with the strict life of the monk. Galileo enjoyed his time at the monastery and he became a ..."
Tags: Galileop, Copernius, the Inqusition, heresy, astronomy, telescope, life and times, Catholic church, biography of Galileo
Abstract This paper relates that both natural human language and the language of mathematics have a precise formal syntax. The author points out that they both offer meaning in the form of semantics and rely upon a body of commonly held assumptions. The paper concludes that both language and mathematics formalizes the informal in order to facilitate the communication and comprehension of meaning.
From the Paper "Upon considering the relationship between natural human language and mathematics, it becomes evident that a number of similarities exist, for both natural human language and the language of mathematics have a precise formal syntax, both offer meaning in the form of semantics, and both rely upon a body of commonly held assumptions. Each of them formalizes the informal in order to facilitate the communication and comprehension of meaning. Lewis Carroll offers examples of the relationship between natural human language and mathematics in his dialogue between the Tortoise and Achilles, for their conversation reveals how linguistic uses of logic are similar to mathematical equations."
Abstract This paper analyzes five of the most commonly used methods of risk management, establishes the differences, similarities and effectiveness among the given methods. and then draws conclusions regarding the effectiveness of each method.
From the Paper "Project development, especially in the software related field, due to its complex nature, could often encounter many unanticipated problems, resulting in projects falling behind on deadlines, exceeding budgets and result in sub-standard products. Although these problems cannot be totally eliminated, they can however be controlled by applying Risk Management methods. This can help to deal with problems before they occur. Organisations who implement risk management procedures and techniques will have greater control over the overall management of the project. "
Abstract This paper looks at the life of Oliver Dimon Kellogg, who spent much of his time researching and advancing potential theory in the world of mathematics. The author discusses his contributions to math and physics, still used today.
From the Paper "When the country no longer required his services, Kellogg was sent to Harvard University. Here he explored a few new mathematical venues before returning to his groundbreaking work in Potential theory. The 1920s were in many ways a decade of inspiration for artists, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and other thinkers across the globe. The war had dampened many spirits, but others saw its finale as a chance for new hope -- for a future without war. Others saw it as a future that was considerably grimmer, yet still full of the possibilities that only the realization of one's own finite nature can bring."
