U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: math question verrrrrry off topic

Re: math question verrrrrry off topic



Well, let's just say I was a little late to class that day, and a little out of sorts when I got there. It might make a better story if I could remember what grade he got, but I don't. But since the class involved homework and written papers, which he hadn't done, and since I graded strictly on pre-designated points for the assignments, papers and tests, I can't imagine that he did very well at all.
katharine



On Jan 18, 2008, at 11:02 PM, Dave S wrote:

Wow, that guy had the nerve to ask it. I know teachers/professors hate that
question even when someone ask it after missing JUST ONE class.


Dave


-----Original Message-----
From: Katharine Thayer [mailto:kthayer@pacifier.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 1:35 AM
To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Subject: Re: math question verrrrrry off topic

While we're way off topic, once when I was teaching
statistics, a guy appeared at my office door just as I was
going to the classroom to give the last lecture of the term,
and said, "I haven't come to class all term; have I missed
anything?"  True story.
kt




On Jan 18, 2008, at 10:04 PM, Dave S wrote:


Well, I am OT again. If it gets too much, just let me know. I don't
know, somehow as I grow older, I seem to like things on the lighter
side.

Tonight I went to a meeting. I worked with university

students a lot.

Tonight I chatted to a young sophomore. He is really a smart guy.
During the
chat, I asked him how early did he have to go to school

(because it is

cold here in MI in the morning). He said it doesn't matter

because he

skipped most of his classes (he is an engineering student.

Engineering

subjects are more standardized and "fixed" especially for
freshmen/sophomores so you can learn them yourself from

textbook and

homeworks).

Then he said, "for my 1st and 3rd semester I skipped almost all the
classes, and I got a GPA of 3.9. The 2nd semester I attended almost
all of my classes, and I got a GPA of 3.6; so my conclusion

is it is

better to skip classes."

Talk about making conclusion from statistical data, huh?   :-)


Dave



-----Original Message-----
From: Katharine Thayer [mailto:kthayer@pacifier.com]
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 9:49 PM
To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Subject: Re: math question verrrrrry off topic

:--)


On Jan 18, 2008, at 6:23 PM, Diana Bloomfield wrote:



Hey Katharine,

I don't know-- maybe.  I honestly didn't read the other

answers.  :)


On Jan 18, 2008, at 8:43 PM, Katharine Thayer wrote:




Hmm, I thought that's what we all already have said, isn't it?
That that theoretical probability (1/4x1/4x1/4) would

hold only if

assumptions were met,  and since assumptions are

obviously not met

(for example, judging is not a random lottery of course


but is done


on the basis of criteria, arbitrary or otherwise but

certainly not

random).  Also, no one has said whether the 600 entries


are 600 works


or 600 people; I was assuming that they are 600 works

representing

fewer than 600 people, in other words people could submit


more than


one work, in which case, as I said, the number of works


submitted per


person would also have to be figured into the equation somehow.
Besides, if one person submits ten pieces and another


person submits


one, the ten pieces by the one person couldn't be considered
independent entries in the same way one of those ten could be
considered independent of the one from the other person, and
independence is also an assumption that must be met in order to
consider the probability of acceptance to be the same for all
entries.
Katharine




On Jan 18, 2008, at 4:25 PM, Diana Bloomfield wrote:




Okay, Chris.  Here is it-- straight from my resident

statistician

here:

If they were the only 3 people from that institution

who applied,

AND if judging was completely random, then the


probability of this


is roughly 1 in 64 (key word: roughly).  If more than


that applied


from this same institution, and only 3 got in, then the


calculation


will be more complex.

Hope that helps. :)
On Jan 17, 2008, at 12:00 PM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:





Where else but this list can I ask these weird questions about
chemistry and math and computers and alt???

OK for you math people (Yves?):  If there is a show and 600
entries, and 150 are accepted, there is a 1 in 4 chance of
acceptance.  If 3 people from the same institution are

accepted

what percent chance is that--is it 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 or a


1.5% chance


or is it a more complex formula?

Forgive the off topic request but it does relate to


photo as 3 of


our program got into a photo show and I want to be able to
mathematically brag about it to the dept. head/dean.
Chris

Christina Z. Anderson
Assistant Professor
Photo Option Coordinator
Montana State University
CZAphotography.com
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