MATH 256: Probability & Statistics I
An introduction to probability theory and statistical inference, covering descriptive statistics, probability distributions, sampling, and hypothesis testing. Prerequisite: MATH 115 or equivalent.
Current Sections Fall 2026
General Information
Class begins August 17, 2026, ends December 10, 2026. See the Academic Calendar for details.
Syllabus: MATH 256-02W Fall 2026 (.pdf)
Textbook: Triola, M.F. (2023). MyLab Statistics for Essentials of Statistics (7th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Addison-Wesley. Instructions for accessing MyLab assignments are sent by email.
Other resources: LibreTexts — Introductory Statistics, OpenStax — Introductory Statistics 2e, and free statistical tools including Statdisk Online, Excel, Google Sheets, R, Python, and JASP.
Office Location and Office Hours: Science Hall 202A — MW 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, F 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, or by appointment.
Lecture Notes by Topic
Lecture notes (PDF) plus supplementary videos and tools by chapter.
Quizzes and exams are listed for pacing — they don't link anywhere.
Introduction: Why Learn Statistics?
Chapter 1
Notes
1.1 Statistical and Critical Thinking PDF
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Video
A Poll of 186,000 vs. Just 500 — Which Do You Trust? Bigger Sample ≠ More Trustworthy Shorts
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Video
Population vs. Sample — What's the Difference? Shorts
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Video
Statistically Significant ≠ Actually Meaningful Shorts
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Notes
1.2 Types of Data PDF
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Video
Parameter vs. Statistic — The Poll Misconception Shorts
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Video
Is a Zip Code Actually a Number? Quantitative vs. Categorical Shorts
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Video
Why 0°F Doesn't Mean "No Temperature" Shorts
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Video
Why Missing Survey Data Can Secretly Ruin Your Results Shorts
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Notes
1.3 Collecting Sample Data PDF
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Video
Do Lighters Actually Cause Lung Cancer? Shorts
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Video
Why Do Drug Trials Test a Fake Pill? Shorts
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Video
Can You Guess the Sampling Method? — 6 Sampling Methods, Ranked by Bias Shorts
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Video
Past, Present, Future — 3 Types of Studies Shorts
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Video
Which Error Should Actually Worry You? Shorts
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Quiz
Quiz 1
Chapter 2
Notes
2.1 Frequency Distributions for Organizing and Summarizing Data PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Construct a Frequency Distribution and Histogram YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Construct a Frequency Distribution YouTube
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Video
Turning 50 Random Numbers Into One Clean Table Shorts
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Video
New York vs. Boise — The Commute Times Will Shock You Shorts
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Video
Cumulative Frequency, Explained in Under a Minute Shorts
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Video
Weigh Your Pennies — You'll Find Something Weird Shorts
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Notes
2.2 Histograms PDF
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Video
Using Excel to Construct Histograms YouTube
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 to Construct a Frequency Distribution and Histogram YouTube
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Video
How to Build (and Actually Read) a Histogram Shorts
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Video
Normal, Skewed, or Neither? Reading a Distribution's Shape Shorts
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Video
Same 50 Values, 3 Different Histograms — Here's the Trick Shorts
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Notes
2.3 Graphs That Enlighten and Graphs That Deceive PDF
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Video
Dotplots vs Stemplots: Which Graph Keeps Your Data? Shorts
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Video
Time Series vs Frequency Polygon: Don't Mix These Up Shorts
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Video
Bar, Pareto, or Pie Chart — Which One Should You Use? Shorts
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Notes
2.4 Scatterplots, Correlation, and Regression PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Construct a Scatterplot YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Construct a Scatterplot YouTube
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 to Construct a Scatterplot YouTube
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Video
Using Statdisk to Determine Linear Corr. Coeff. & Regression Equation YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Determine the Correlation Coeff. & Regression Equation YouTube
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Quiz
Quiz 2
Chapter 3
Notes
3.1 Measures of Center PDF
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Video
How to Find Mean, Median, Mode, and Range Using TI-84 Plus CE YouTube
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 to Find Descriptive Statistics YouTube
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Video
Using Statdisk to Find Descriptive Statistics YouTube
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Notes
3.2 Measures of Variation PDF
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Web
Unbiased Estimator for Population Variance, Clearly Explained
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Video
How to Calculate Variance in Excel (Sample and Population) YouTube
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Notes
3.3 Measures of Relative Standing PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Construct Boxplots YouTube
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 to Construct Boxplots YouTube
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Quiz
Quiz 3
Exam
Exam 1
Chapter 4
Notes
4.1 Basic Concepts of Probability PDF
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Notes
4.2 Addition Rule and Multiplication Rule PDF
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Notes
4.3 Complements, Conditional Probability, and Bayes' Theorem PDF
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Notes
4.4 Counting PDF
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Video
Using Excel to Calculate Factorials, Permutations and Combinations YouTube
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 for Factorials, Permutations and Combinations YouTube
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Quiz
Quiz 4
Chapter 5
Notes
5.1 Probability Distributions PDF
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 for a Probability Distribution YouTube
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Notes
5.2 Binomial Probability Distributions PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Compute Binomial Probabilities YouTube
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Video
Calculate Binomial Probability with TI-84 Plus/Plus CE YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Compute Binomial Probabilities YouTube
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Notes
5.3 Poisson Probability Distributions PDF
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Quiz
Quiz 5
Exam
Exam 2
Chapter 6
Notes
6.1 The Standard Normal Distribution PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk for Finding a z Score from a Known Area YouTube
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Video
Using Statdisk to Find a Normal Distribution Area YouTube
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Video
Using Excel for Finding a z Score from a Known Area YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Find Normal Distribution Area YouTube
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Notes
6.2 Real Applications of Normal Distributions PDF
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Notes
6.3 Sampling Distributions and Estimators PDF
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Sheet
The Game of "Roll a Die 5 Times"
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Notes
6.4 The Central Limit Theorem PDF
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Notes
6.5 Assessing Normality PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Construct a Normal Quantile Plot YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Construct a Normal QQ Plot YouTube
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Notes
6.6 Normal as Approximation to Binomial PDF
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Quiz
Quiz 6
Chapter 7
Notes
7.1 Estimating a Population Proportion PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Construct a Conf. Interval Estimate of Population Proportion YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Construct a Conf. Interval of a Population Proportion YouTube
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 to Construct a Conf. Interval Estimate of Pop. Proportion YouTube
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Notes
7.2 Estimating a Population Mean PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Construct a Conf. Interval of Population Mean YouTube
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Video
Using Excel to Construct a Confidence Interval of Population Mean YouTube
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Video
Using the TI-83/84 to Construct a Confidence Interval Estimate of a Pop. Mean YouTube
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Notes
7.3 Estimating a Population Standard Deviation or Variance PDF
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Quiz
Quiz 7
Exam
Exam 3
Chapter 8
Notes
8.1 Basics of Hypothesis Testing PDF
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Notes
8.2 Testing a Claim About a Proportion PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Test a Claim About a Population Proportion YouTube
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Notes
8.3 Testing a Claim About a Mean PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Test a Claim About a Population Mean YouTube
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Notes
8.4 Testing a Claim About a Standard Deviation or Variance PDF
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Video
Using Statdisk to Test a Claim About a Population Std Dev or Variance YouTube
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Quiz
Quiz 8
Past Semesters Complete Record · 15 terms
- Summer 2026 (256-01W, Online)
- Spring 2026 (256-02W, Online)
- Spring 2026 (256-01, 11:00 – 11:50 AM)
- Fall 2025 (256-01, 1:00 – 1:50 PM)
- Fall 2025 (256-02W, Online)
- Summer 2025 (Online)
- Spring 2025 (256-02, 11:00 – 11:50 AM)
- Fall 2024 (256-01, 1:00 – 1:50 PM)
- Fall 2024 (256-02, 9:30 – 10:45 AM)
- Summer 2024 (256)
- Spring 2024 (256-01, 10:00 – 10:50 AM)
- Spring 2024 (256-02, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM)
- Fall 2023 (256-01, 10:00 – 10:50 AM)
- Fall 2023 (256-02, 12:00 – 12:50 PM)
- Summer 2023 (256)