EAPS 17 Statistics for Earth and Planetary Scientists
Almost all disciplines of research include data collection and processing. To study environmental problems, it is necessary that we not only have disciplinary knowledge about how natural systems work and how they respond to natural and anthropogenic perturbations, but also understand how to analyze and interpret data. This knowledge is essential for understanding uncertainties of scientific conclusions, for testing hypotheses, and for uncovering hidden trends or properties in datasets. Data analysis methods are most effectively learned in the relevant context. In this class, we explore fundamentals of data analysis and hypothesis testing using real environmental data. Topics such as acid deposition, air and water pollution, water quality and climate change are used to introduce the methods of environmental data analysis. Students will learn basic statistical methods such as descriptive statistics, assessment of uncertainty, error propagation, hypothesis testing, regression, and experimental design.
Prerequisite
MATH 3 and one EAPS course; or Instructor Permission.