|Unit level:||Level 1|
|Teaching period(s):||Semester 2|
|Offered by||School of Mathematics|
|Available as a free choice unit?:||N
The course unit aims to provide a basic course in probability theory and vectors for Foundation Year students.
Knowledge and understanding: On successful completion of this course, students should be familiar with simple probability and vectors.
Intellectual skills: Be able to carry out routine operations involving the topics in the syllabus.
Transferable skills and personal qualities: Have a set of tools and methods that can be applied in the courses given in the host department or in subsequent years.
- Other - 20%
- Written exam - 80%
Assessment Further Information
Coursework 1 (week 6) Weighting within unit 10%
Coursework 2 (week 11 ) Weighting within unit 10%
2 hour examination (semester 2) Weighting within unit 80%
Eleven lectures: Vectors: Scalars and vectors. Magnitude and direction. Addition of vectors. Multiplication by a scalar. Scalar products and projections. Vector Products. 2D and 3D coordinate geometry. Position vectors and unit vectors. Parametric Equations. Vector equations of lines and planes. Shortest distance between two lines.
Five lectures : Probability: Experiments, outcomes. Sample spaces, events, complements and unions/intersections of events, use of combinations and permutations to evaluate probabilities on finite sample spaces. Conditional probability and independence.
Three lectures: Random variables: Discrete and continuous random variables. Displaying probability distribution functions. Probability distribution functions as the limits of relative frequency distributions. Mean and sample mean.
Three lectures: Standard distributions: Binomial, poisson and normal distributions with applications.
BOSTOCK, L., & CHANDLER, S. 1981. Mathematics - the core course for A-level. Thornes, Cheltenham. (ISBN0859503062)
STROUD, K.A, 2007. Engineering mathematics (6th ed.) Palgrave Macmillan, Baisingstoke. (ISBN9781403942463 / ISBN1403942463)
SPIEGEL, M. & MEDDIS, R. 1980. Schaum's outline of theory and problems of probability and statistics (SI [Metric] ed.) McGraw-Hill, London. (ISBN0070843562 / ISBN9780070843561)
MCCOLL, J. 1995. Probability (Modular mathematics). Edward Arnold, London. (ISBN0340614269 / ISBN9780340614266)
- Lectures - 24 hours
- Tutorials - 11 hours
- Independent study hours - 65 hours