School of Mathematics
University of Southampton

MATH2041/2042 (formerly Math2019 and Ma264): Statistics for Civil and Environmental Engineering
Second Semester 2008-2009

Last updated January, 2009.

Course lecturer: Dr Sujit K. Sahu, Room 9001, Mathematics building, phone: 8059-5123. email: S.K.Sahu@soton.ac.uk.

Lecture Times: Monday 15:00-17:00 (Maths Building, room 5A)
Friday 14:00-15:00 (Maths Building, room 5A) (All weeks 1-6)
Workshop: Thursday 13:00-13:45 session is a supervised tutorial/computer workshop and will take place in Building 58, rooms 1053 and 1043 (if needed). (All weeks 1-6)
Office Hours: by appointment (email me).

Course Notes, t-plots blackboard

Objectives

This course provides an introduction into the use of probability models and statistical methods, with applications in Engineering.

Outline syllabus

Data analysis using Minitab
Summarising and displaying data
Probability ideas and manipulating probabilities, Reliability analysis
Populations and samples, Modelling
Probability distributions: Normal, lognormal, Weibull and extreme value distributions
Return periods and ideas of design life
Estimation and testing, Comparison of populations
Fitting straight lines to data points: Regression analysis
More complicated regressions

Lectures and Lab Schedule

Week and Date Materials Covered Lab Session
W1: February 2 Chapter 1: Summarising data Worksheet 1:Introduction to MINITAB
W2: February 9 Chapter 2: Probability Worksheet 2: Probability and reliability: Answers
W3: February 16 Chapter 3: Probability Models Worksheet 3: The normal distribution Answers
W4: February 23 Chapter 4: Estimation Worksheet 4: Probability models Answers
W5: March 2 Chapter 5: Regression Worksheet 5: Inference Answers
W6: March 9 Chapter 5 and revision Revision

Software

We shall make extensive use of the MINITAB Statistical Software, which can be obtained for use on your own PC from the ISS software download service

Assessment

Assessment for the Statistics part of MATH2041/2042 is based on Examination and Coursework.

The Statistics coursework is a single data analysis assignment which will be available (in lectures and here) from Thursday, March 12, and must be handed in to the School of Mathematics office before 3pm on Tuesday April 28. This is a strict deadline. Penalties for late submission will be stated on the Coursework sheet.

Students are reminded of the School guidelines on collaboration in the Undergraduate examination handbook.

The examination is 2 hours in length and there will be 5 questions on the paper. Full marks may be obtained for complete answers to 4 questions and only your best 4 answers will be taken into account. Calculators may be used. Graph paper will be provided as will a copy of a formula sheet (available here) which contains some statistical tables and useful formulae.

Click here for the 2005-2006 exam paper. The sketch solution for this paper is here.

The 2004-2005 exam paper is found here. You can also obtain the solution page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4, and page 5.

Past examination papers are available here. (Use your university user id and password and enter MA264 as the unit code to find the 1999-2003 examination papers).
Solutions are available in Tutor box MATH 2019 in the reserve collection of the Hartley Library.

Books

Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers, 2nd Edition by DC Montgomery and GC Runger (Wiley, 1999).