| Unit name | Theory of Inference 4 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MATHM0019 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Wood |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites | |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Mathematics |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The basic premise of inference is our judgement that the things we would like to know are related to other things that we can measure. This premise holds over the whole of the sciences. The distinguishing features of statistical science are
1.A probabilistic approach to quantifying uncertainty, and, within that, 2.A concern to assess the principles under which we make good inferences, and 3.The development of tools to facilitate the making of such inferences.
This course illustrates these features at a high level of generality, while also covering the special cases that often occur in practice. See the Syllabus below for more details.
To gain an understanding of some key principles of statistical inference, and how these impact upon current practice across a range of fields.
Lectures, problems classes, homeworks to be done by students, Office Hours.
20% Coursework & 80% Examination
There is no set book for the unit. The following textbooks will cover all of the basic material, with a careful treatment of the more subtle issues that often confound non-statisticians. These are listed in increasing order of sophistication: 1.David Freedman et al, Statistics, Norton, 4th edn (earlier editions also good), 2007 2.John Rice, Mathematical Statistics and Data Analysis, Duxbury Press, 2nd edn, 1995. 3.Morris DeGroot and Mark Schervish, Probability and Statistics, Addison Wesley, 3rd edn, 2002.
In addition, the following books are highly recommended:
1.Stephen Senn, Dicing with death: Chance, risk, and health, CUP, 2003. 2.Gerd Gigerenzer, Reckoning with risk: Learning to live with uncertainty, Penguin, 2003. 3.Imogen Evans et al, Testing treatments: Better research for better healthcare, Pinter & Martin Ltd., 2nd edition, 2011
