Information for Midterm-1: In Class, Friday, October 10, 2008

Format:

There will be 3 questions, each with several parts. The third question will carry more points. The exam will tell you the details, but do not waste time worrying about it!
The reason for having several parts is to make it easier not harder: the parts take you through the steps, and enables partial credit to be more fairly assessed.

The exam will be on one page, and you will write solutions on blank paper to be provided. Please bring your preferred pencil/pen and eraser: if pencil, please make sure it is not too faint to read. There will be no difficult numbers, but if you find even simple arithmetic easier with a calculator, you may bring a calculator:
NO cell phones may be used (as calculator or otherwise) during the exam..

Please be sure to write your name clearly on every sheet of paper handed in.
You need NOT hand in the exam questions page.
If you have a small stapler handy, staple your pages, but if not it is OK, provided you label each page clearly with your name and the question number in the top right-hand corner.

Material to be covered:

This best way to know what may be covered is to review the notes for Week-1 and Week-2. Bits we did not cover (e.g. Stirling's formula) you will not be expected to know. Of course, the last parts we cover on Friday and Monday (and I go to SEATAC right after class on Monday), but if you have problems with the notes please ask Yanming Di (see below) for help in Wednesday class.

The questions on the midterm will be like the Examples in the notes, and like the homework questions -- that is, more "problem" like than "theoretical". If you have done and understood Homework-1 and Homework-2, and understand the examples in the Notes for Week-1 and Week-2 you should have no problem with the midterm.

The exam is closed-book. However, you will be provided with a brief summary of the main formulae we have covered for use in the Exam. In fact it is the top part of the Exam page, and I have posted it. It looks quite ``theoretical'', but the exam questions will be on understanding how to use these formulae, not on any proofs etc. (Conditional probability and Bayes' theorem will be covered on Friday and Monday: Notes Week-2, lectures 5 and 6.)

Yanming Di:

who is a senior graduate student in the Statistics Department, will give the class on Wednesday October 8, and the midterm on Friday October 10.

On Wednesday:
I will suggest examples for him to work with you: these will likely be from the "Self-test" examples, so you will be able to think about them afterwards (if necessary). These will be examples relevant to the midterm. If you have questions, please ask Yanming: he is there to help you prepare for the midterm.

He should be able to return your Homeworks-1, collect your Homeworks-2.
I do NOT expect there to be any problems about the grading/return of Homework-1, but if there are stay calm, and we will sort it out when I am back (October 13). Do not expect Yanming or the grader to be able to deal with problems in my absence.
Homework-1 solutions will be posted this Friday (if not sooner), and Yanming will post Homework-2 solutions after class next Wednesday, SO NO LATE HOMEWORKS (apart from the two students also travelling to meetings next week).
This is for your benefit, so that my solutions (which I believe are correct, but as always not 100% guaranteed) can be available to you for the max possible time before the midterm.
Yanming will tell you where the Homework solutions are posted on his web page. I did put up a link under Oct 8 on the schedule: with luck, this will work as soon as he posts the solutions. In event of problems, his UW email is diy@u.

On Friday:
Yanming will distribute, proctor, and collect the midterms, to return to me for grading. Hopefully there will be no confusing questions/typos in the exam, but if there are, stay calm. Yanming will do what he can to clarify, but again, I will sort out anything needing sorting when I get back.