This past fall semester I was enrolled in Statistics 240 which was my second college statistics class and my first at Umass Amherst. We began the semester talking about histograms, box plots, and stem and leaf plots which are all methods of organizing data. Using these methods to manipulate data allows for clear relationship inferences when dealing with large amounts of data. We also utilized chi squared tests to understand the relationships between numbers in a data set via observed and expected values. Later on in the semester we studied binomial distribution, normal distributions, probability distributions, and used the Central Limit theorem when certain criteria were not met. The course finished with a group project where we chose two variables to compare using Minitab as a statistical platform. The project allowed for creativity when constructing how the data would be presented and what analytical tests would be performed on the data. This statistics class at Umass built upon the previous knowledge I had from my statistics class taken during my associate's degree. I have found that the methods of data analysis have been prevalent in many upper level biology classes I have taken. I have seen countless examples of data manipulation in primary scientific literature and understanding when these methods are performed allows for a deeper comprehension of the literature.
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