In
Lesson 7 of my book, you note that I discuss using a table for quickly getting probabilities for certain Binomial Distributions,
Table C.
This table is no longer given to you in the tables to download from UM Learn. Make sure you make this perfectly clear to your prof.
Personally, that is fine
with me. This table wasn't worth the trouble anyway. For example, it would not help you solve any of the binomial questions you were asked in Assignment 3, question 6 anyway. So it is no big loss. Now you know that you will just always use the Binomial Probability formula involving the nCr button on your calculator.
However! The big concern is when you get to the Chi-Square Goodness of Fit
section of Lesson 9 in my book. Specifically, questions like my questions 8 and 9 in Lesson 9. These are extremely common long answer questions on the final exam, and they would be considerably longer to solve if you do not have Table C.
My worry is that this will be taught so late in this course students and profs may not be aware that a question like this will be considerably longer to solve without the Binomial
Probabilities already computed for you in advance like they are on Table C. This type of question won't even show up on an assignment until Assignment 5, and that assignment may not even be posted until days before the end of the course since it is not to be handed in. This stuff is still on your final exam! And, believe me, they may put a question like the ones I am referring to on your final exam, not realizing that there is no Table to speed up the
solution. They have made this kind of mistake in the past when tables have been removed (there used to be a Poisson Distribution table, too).
Make sure you do two things:
- Observe if your prof is at any time using a table for Binomial probabilities, and, if so, make sure they are aware that you do not have one. If your prof does not, get your prof to confirm that you will never be using the Binomial Probability table in
this course.
- When you finally start doing Chi-Square Goodness of Fit (probably in the last week or two of the course), again, be very watchful for questions like my Lesson 9, #8 and #9 being done in class and/or asked in assignments, and, once again, make sure your prof knows that you do not have a Binomial table.
You must take responsibility upon yourself to make sure the prof is aware of this change in the course, to ensure they do not
carelessly make a major question on your final exam twice as long to solve as they really intended.
