Excuse my absence, but have you ever taken a statistics class? One with essays?
Member of the Funny Name Club
Yes, Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics was required for my 1st degree.
The only essays were written in equation form. And yes, you could probably call them essays on length alone.
Posted by: Rich | June 26, 2005 at 05:04 PM
Yes.
Why?
Posted by: David Blue | June 26, 2005 at 08:07 PM
It's my absence excuse, David.
Posted by: baldilocks | June 26, 2005 at 08:20 PM
Bejus! I'll have nightmares just from thinking about that.
Posted by: Acidman | June 26, 2005 at 09:01 PM
sigh, i love statistics...i miss college :)
yes, I'm a geek and a total poli sci nerd, so don't mind me...
Posted by: jody | June 26, 2005 at 09:32 PM
Ah. I take it statistics wasn't a blissful oasis in your life. Oh well, I hope you do great anyway.
Posted by: David Blue | June 27, 2005 at 01:59 AM
I've taught a statistics class...
...man, was that painful at times.
"No, there's no such thing as negative probability."
Posted by: Meep | June 27, 2005 at 03:39 AM
No, but I have taught statistics classes and required essay's (In the form of a poll, and having them use stats). Funny, statistics was the only math type class I didn't have trouble with...
Posted by: GM Roper | June 27, 2005 at 05:29 AM
It's blessedly non-political, which is why I remember it with such affection.
Posted by: David Blue | June 27, 2005 at 07:28 AM
Baldi
What degree are you working for?
Posted by: Bill O... | June 27, 2005 at 09:16 AM
Acidman: Visions of standard deviations dancing in your head, no doubt. :-P
Meep: Frightening.
David: Thanks. It'll be over soon.
Bill: Business.
Posted by: baldilocks | June 27, 2005 at 10:15 AM
Yes to statistics. No essays, but there were lots of written assignments. Everything was easier once I mastered calculus I and II. Now there were some assignments that felt like essays. Pages and pages of equations. I kind of miss it.
Posted by: Samantha | June 27, 2005 at 03:58 PM
I've always thought of A'man as having non standard deviations in his head too. ;-)
Posted by: StinKerr | June 27, 2005 at 09:40 PM
I teach a stats class, and I require a sort of essay (I require the students to select a published research paper in their field of interest and critique the experimental design and statistical methods used). And I have essay-type questions on the exams.
Yeah, I'm evil that way.
Meep, can't say I've ever had to explain why there wasn't negative probability. But I've had to do lots of 'splainin' why standard deviations cannot be negative. (It sometimes surprises me how vague a concept of "variability" college seniors have).
Posted by: ricki | June 28, 2005 at 05:48 AM