The challenge of finding notes
I ran across an old notebook from my days at the American Institute for Economic Research–the days when I studied and wrote in the philosophy of science–with a note the back pag:
In describing the human body we must realize the whole and particulars. The whole is the body we see and touch. It is what we assign names, such as Scott or Tara. However, there are particulars, namely atoms that comprise the whole.
Now let’s look at the forces on the body. One may ask, how can such a body stay together here on Earth? Why not when we walk do our legs move and our torso remain in place? That being so, why are we not being pulled apart, but instead remain steady on Earth.
The answer is two-fold. For one, we stay together because bones and tissue make us continguous. Bone and tissue are comprised of cells which are built by atoms. We, therefore, stay in one piece becasue of atoms and the strong and weak forces of physics.
The second part, why we are not floating away, rests on gravity.
So to answer the question, how can we physically exist on Earth, is answered by two parts, both necessary and yet not sufficient. We stay as a whole because of the strong and weak forces of atomic physics. We remain together in one piece here on Earth because of gravity. Is this not two theories to answer one question which can also be phrased as a hypothesis? If it is a bad hypothesis/question, what makes it so?
It seems to be an introduction to a paper I never finished writing. I think it was going to address the Duhem-Quine thesis with some elements relating to a good or bad hypothesis. Probably on the separability of the two concepts. I wonder if it was going to be a good paper…
Education the Workforce of the Future
GOOD Magazine has put together an infographic on the education demands for next generation’s workforce. It’s a very timely topic for me and always a good reminder for students. Unfortunately, students who need to know this the most often do not understand.
Some common problems are abound in this infographic that are also apparent in other analysis. The “completion rate” of two-year colleges is underestimated since many students transfer to four-year universities instead of completing a degree. There is also a lot of pressure on colleges here, but there is an entire pipeline–from birth through school–that needs to be addressed.
I really like Zotero’s new tab
Firefox 4′s implementation is neat, 3.x was bland.
STEMania
A few STEM items today. From the most recent issue of Technology and Engineering Teacher by Ryan Brown, Joshua Brown, Kristin Reardon, and Chris Merrill:
STEM education has been defined as “a standards-based, meta-discipline residing at the school
level where all teachers, especially science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers, teach
an integrated approach to teaching and learning, where discipline-specific content is not divided, but addressed
and treated as one dynamic, fluid study” (Merrill, 2009). However, which sciences are included, and does the level of
math matter, and how is technology defined? The National Science Foundation includes sciences such as psychology,
economics, sociology, and political science in the STEM definition (Green 2007 as cited in NCES, 2009). Other definitions include the technologies that are included in Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study
of Technology (ITEA/ITEEA, 2000/2002/2007), while some solely focus on computer and information technology/
science (NCES, 2009).
How do you ensure STEM isn’t just for the smart (aka self-selection bias). Cynthia Brown:
In general, the workforce pipeline of elementary school teachers fails to ensure that the teachers who inform children’s early academic trajectories have the appropriate knowledge of and disposition toward math-intensive subjects and mathematics itself. Prospective teachers can typically obtain a license to teach elementary school without taking a rigorous college-level…
Andrew Rotherham on :
We offer scholarships and other incentives in an effort to induce them. But people chose their career path for a variety of reasons, large and small. And it’s worth asking if in this instance trying to change the choices of those who are in a position to make choices is really the most powerful leverage point here.
Mr. Rotherham’s comment doesn’t directly address Ms. Brown’s, but is relevant since many STEM majors are taken away into quantitative business occupations.
Educational Attainment of Adults over 25 in Iowa
A new project is going to send me into map-making mode for awhile, here is the first bit (click for full size):
Math 241 Final
- Download this Excel document. We will spend some time trying to understand what influences graduation rates.
- Graph a histogram for $/Student and SAT score.
- Copy & paste each graph into a word document.
- Describe whether or not each variable appears to be normally distributed.
- Estimate the mean, median, and mode based on the graph for both variables.
- Calculate the mean, median, and mode for %Grad.
- Create a scatterplot between %Grad and SAT score with %Grad on the x-axis. Do you believe there is a relationship? Explain why or why not and the direction of the relationship (e.g., positive, negative, or no relationship)
- The average SAT score in the United States is 1030. Conduct a hypothesis test which compares the distribution of this dataset to the national average at the 5% level. Is there a statistically significant difference?
- Conduct a hypothesis test comparing the average SAT for a Lib Arts institution and a Univ. Are there statistically significant differences at the 5% level?
- Conduct a multiple regression (copy and paste all three regression tables into the Word document):
- The equation for the regression is Grad% = %PhD + Top 10% + $/Student + Acceptance + SAT + School_Type. You may need to recode the School_Type into a binary variable.
- What variables explain differences, with statistical significance at 5%, in the graduation level at colleges. Explain, in plain language, the relationship between each significant variable and the graduation rate.
- Grinnell College, located in Iowa, has a 1244 SAT, 67% acceptance rate, 22,301 $/student, 65% were in the top 10%, and 79% of faculty had PhD’s. Calculate the predicted value of their graduation rate. What’s the difference between the predicted graduation rate and the actual graduation rate (e.g., calculate the number)?
- How much of the variation in %Grad is explained by this model?
- Email me the answer sheet (Word) and the results (either Excel and/or SPSS).
Math 241: Homework #3
Instructions: Complete all of the questions below. You may use a calculator or tables in the appendices. Please denote the method of how you found your answers, including the calculator commands/functions/equations, so I can diagnose whether you’re having conceptual issues or technology input issues. This is due April 21, 2011.
- 5.42 (p. 253)
- 5.67 (p. 267)
- 5.70 (p. 267)
- 5.71 (p. 267)
- 6.1 (p. 293)
- 6.3 (p. 293)
- 6.18 (p. 314)
Type II Errors
Significance testing at 0.05 means you will get an erroneous false-positive 1 times out of 20. xkcd exhibits:
