[AT] Blizzard of '78

Sun Jan 30 07:41:35 PST 2011

Cecil,

I can't understand why any semi-rational person couldn't see that statistics is a pure "junk" science!  Everything except the actual mathematical computations is MADE UP!!  All it really tells you is what MIGHT happen.

I officially became a Ed.D. student in ag. education last spring.  Before, I had taken online classes as a Post-Bacculeaurate (probably misspelled but too lazy to spell-check) student for a couple years to get a 6th year certificate.  Like Forrest Gump, I decided to keep on run-ning.  Anyway the semester before I officially applied, I decided to take the first of two statistics courses I have to take.  It was a struggle.  What really got me was I took the tests in the evenings with the on-campus class, to avoid having to miss school, arrange a sub for my classes, etc.  So I would finish school, meet my wife, drive 2hrs. to Raleigh, take the test, eat at Olive Garden, and come home.  That "got" me.  Anyway I finished the course with a B-.  Then I read the fine print.  As a PBS student at NCSU, any course you want to apply towards a real degree program must at least be a "B!"  I emailed the professor and told him about it and was there any extra work I could do, (I didn't ask for a freebie) and he told me to "double check that, he wasn't sure that was correct."  In other words, I think that was his way of saying I was "screwed."

The sad thing is, everything I will need to do with my data can easily be done with a computer.  The interpretation part is what you really need to know, and that part is easy.  I don't see myself ever picking up a calculator to do any of those rediculous calculations again once I finish this last course.

Al

-----Original Message-----
>From: Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net>
>Sent: Jan 30, 2011 8:10 AM
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78
>
>Al:
>You are the first person to echo my sentiments of statistics.  I was in OK 
>state in 1973-75 I was told by my advisor that statistics would be an easy 
>course.  Every time he said something would be easy, I had problems.  I have 
>always been a black & white sort of person.  Right or wrong, it is or it 
>isn't.  Those random number tables at the back of the book were so foreign 
>to me.  I could nto believe that you coupld just open to any page and drop 
>your pencil and start getting numbers!!!!!!!!!   Later on in the course I 
>lost my random number book, and just made up the numbers.  I got the same 
>results....
>That statistics course and the Agronomy 2124 (rocks & clods) were the 2 
>courses that ruined my 4.0 average.  I was working at a tractor shop and 
>hauling and trading used farm machinery while going to college, so I was 
>gone a lot.  The statistics prof was a real good guy, he was a young from 
>Australia, been here only 3 years..  I talked to him a lot after classes. 
>He had some great stories and I was the only one who wanted to listen to 
>them..  I told him I needed the credit to graduate since it was in my senior 
>year, and he said do not worry.  He gave me a C, and I mean Gave.....  I was 
>not so lucky with the Agronomy course.  I had to take a couple of 
>engineering courses at the local junior college in OKC to graduate.  Only F 
>that I ever had.
>
>Cecil in OKla
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Al Jones" <farmallsupera at earthlink.net>
>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 11:56 AM
>Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78
>
>
>>I would have been PROUD of a Thursday night exam.  Ours were Saturday 
>>morning.  I went home almost every weekend to do farm work and doggone sure 
>>had better things to do than set in Raleigh and take a exam on a Saturday. 
>>The only thing was, in ag. education we were still at that time in the 
>>college of education, (we moved over to College of Ag & Life Sciences in 94 
>>or 95)and the requirement for us for chemistry was Chem 100!  No lab, just 
>>3 hrs. of lecture a week.  The exams were still no push-over but I knew I 
>>was lucky to be where I was.
>>
>> I'm in the second statistics class I have to have for my doctorial program 
>> right now.  All my other online courses have had take home, open book 
>> exams.  Not statistics.  You either have ot show up and take the exam with 
>> the on-campus class, or make an appointment thru the NCSU proctoring 
>> center. I have managed to learn enough to know that the old saying about 
>> lies, damn lies, and statistics is 100% true!  There is truly no more 
>> made-up, pull-stuff-out-of-the-air discipline than statistics!
>>
>> Al
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>>From: David Bruce <davidbruce at yadtel.net>
>>>Sent: Jan 29, 2011 9:39 AM
>>>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>>Subject: Re: [AT] Blizzard of '78
>>>
>>>In my days it was calculators rather than slide rules but the rest held
>>>true.  Thursday night lemmings to the slaughter then lots of campus
>>>unrest afterward (mostly water fights and drunks).
>>>
>>>David
>>>NW NC
>>>
>>>On 1/29/2011 9:10 AM, charlie hill wrote:
>>>> Al, ours were Thursday night exams.  90 minutes to work 30 problems in
>>>> Harrelson Hall on those itty bitty swing up desks with a test booklet, a
>>>> work booklet an answer sheet and a slide rule.  You think things like
>>>> Avogadro's Number or the Molar Gas Constant are tough on a calculator? 
>>>> Try
>>>> them on a 23 scale K E or Post slide rule.   The answer sheet was 
>>>> multiple
>>>> choice.  5 possible answers to each question.  The possibilities were 
>>>> the
>>>> correct answer and the 4 most probably mistake answers.  You didn't have
>>>> time to check your work.  You pretty much had to go with the first 
>>>> answer
>>>> you came up with and believe me it was on the answer sheet.
>>>>
>>>> Charlie
>>>_______________________________________________
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