6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Organisational Unit
School of Mathematical Sciences
Chief examiner(s)
Coordinator(s)
Dr Soojin Roh
(Clayton)
Dr Daniel McInnes
(Clayton)
Dr Md Zobaer Hasan
(Malaysia)
Unit guides
Offered
- First semester 2019 (On-campus)
- Second semester 2019 (On-campus)
- First semester 2019 (On-campus)
- Second semester 2019 (On-campus)
- October intake 2019 (On-campus)
Prohibitions
STA1010, ETC1000, ETW1000, ETW1102, ETX1100, FIT1006, MTH1030 and ENG1005.
Note that SCI1020 is an introductory unit and students who have already completed one of these prohibited units cannot subsequently enrol in SCI1020. Students who have completed MTH1030 or ENG1005 should enrol in STA1010 instead.
Synopsis
Scientific method. Graphical and numerical summary of data. Principles of experimental and sampling design, data acquisition, and the presentation of data. The role of mathematical models in science by investigating the relationship between quantitative variables. Analysis of data using the inferential statistical methods of hypothesis testing and confidence intervals. Communication of scientific information.
Outcomes
On completion of this unit students will be able to:
- Understand the key steps of the scientific method and apply these to real problems that involve data analysis and interpretation;
- Understand the importance of statistical techniques in the analysis of data;
- Describe how statistical data is collected and analysed;
- Use Excel to present and interpret data in numerical summaries and/or graphs;
- Use appropriate statistical summaries to explore data;
- Perform regression and interpret results;
- Determine confidence intervals;
- Conduct hypothesis testing and interpret results;
- Make statistical decisions and communicate findings in a meaningful scientific way.
Assessment
NOTE: From 1 July 2019, the duration of all exams is changing to combine reading and writing time. The new exam duration for this unit is 3 hours and 10 minutes.
End of semester examination (3 hours): 60% (Hurdle)
Continuous assessment: 40% (Hurdle)
Hurdle requirement: To pass this unit a student must achieve at least 50% overall and at least 40% for both the end-of-semester examination and continuous assessment components.
Workload requirements
Three 1-hour lectures per week and one 2-hour applied class per week
See also Unit timetable information