"Like the crest of a peacock so is mathematics at the head of all knowledge." - (Anonymous)

 

Math History Tidbit:

Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Papyrus is a form of paper made from a reed that grows along the banks of the Nile River. Four very ancient documents provide us information about the amazing mathematics of the Egyptians. (Two will be mentioned here; the other two will be referenced in Assignment #75.)

The Moscow Papyrus (ca 1850 B.C.): It is 18 feet long, 3 inches wide, and contains 25 problems. It is now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.

The Rhind Papyrus (ca 1605 B.C.): Sometimes called the Ahmes Papyrus, it is 18 feet long and 13 inches wide. It is the most informative Egyptian document we have. It contains 85 problems. It resides in the British Museum.

Research on these documents would represent time well spent for those who appreciate the value of mathematics.

Herkimer's Corner

Why did Herkimer have trouble opening a can of soda pop during the second game of a baseball doubleheader?

Answer: Because the home team lost the opener.

Herky wants to know:

If mail you sent out is damp when it is returned, is this because of postage dew?

Why is it that a guy who says he will stop acting like a fool isn't acting?

ASSIGNMENT #74

Reading: Section 12.1, pages 658-664.

Exercises: 12.1, 12.2, 12.3 (page 660), 12.4, 12.5 (page 664).

Jot down responses by the problem in the book.

Cartoon Guide to Statistics, pages 137-142.

Items for reflection:

You are working in Section 12.1.

A reminder from Chapter 9:

For an SRS of size n for a large population withproportion p, we can use the normal approximation for the samplingdistribution of p(hat) when np and n(1-p) are both at least 10 andwhen the population is at least 10 times as large as thesample.

mp(hat) = p

sp(hat) = sqrt[p(1-p)/n]

LINK TO SECTIONSUMMARIES

LINK TO STATISTICS HOMEPAGE

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Text:
The Practice of Statistics, by Yates, Moore, McCabe. New York,W.H. Freeman and Company, 1999. (;l 0-7167-3370-6)

Supplemental books:
The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, by Gonick and Smith. NewYork, HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. (ISBN 0-06-273102-5)
How to Lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff. New York, W.W.Norton & Company, 1982 (ISBN 0-393-09426-X)

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