Stein: Any other questions before I get to normal probability plots? // A truck blows its horn outside for a few seconds Stein: Somebody doesn't like normal probability plots.

#2249

2424

Oct. 2, 2010, 11:48 p.m.

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Stein: I have a couple things to tell you about this Standard Normal Probability Table. The good news is, I am willing to copy, at the expense of Montgomery County Public Schools, one of these for you. It is [also] on the inside cover of your textbook, however it is a pain in the butt to flip back and forth when you're doing your homework. If you lose [the copy], it is easy to find it. Just google image search "Standard Normal Probability Table", and you too can print out one of these. It's not a secret. That's the good news. Stein: The bad news is I don't call it the "Standard Normal Probability Table", and what I'm about to tell you is probably the most annoying thing you'll hear from me the whole year, and you're going to hear it over and over again until you can't stand it, because I call this thing the "CH-A-R-A-R-A-RT" *shouts in crazy fluctuating/yodeling tone*, like that. // students laugh Stein: Now, there's no reason for that. I've been doing it for probably twelve years, since I started teaching statistics. You can't stop me. I know it's annoying and I continue to do it, so there's nothing you can do about it. And probably in about ten minutes you're going to be sick of hearing about the "CH-A-R-A-R-A-RT", but there's nothing you can do about it and just think how you're going to feel in January. After every time you got this piece of paper out, the stupid teacher goes "CH-A-R-A-R-A-RT" and nobody knows why. And what makes it even stupider is this is not even a chart. It's a table, so there's no reason behind why I call it the "CH-A-R-A-R-A-RT". Stein: Now first of all, there are two sides to it. Do you see the column that says "z"? One side has positive z and the other side has negative z. Now, you might think to yourself, being a smart person... Students: ...self... Stein: Thank you... it's symmetric, so you don't really need both sides, right? Students: Right. Stein: And in fact, I learned this when I was tutoring a kid who was doing IB. In Europe, they only give you one side. And you can do the problems just fine with only one side, but there's a reason why Europe is in decline and the United States is the greatest country on Earth. And one of the reasons why the United States is the greatest country on Earth and Europe is in decline is that we have both sides because we're Americans, and we don't need both sides but damn it, we get both sides!

#2248

44

Oct. 2, 2010, 10:48 p.m.

⚐ Report

// immediately after teaching the World-Famous Normal Curve Interpretive Dance Stein: That is The World-Famous... // Louis Wasserman spontaneously walks into the room (317) Stein: Do you remember? Wasserman: Oh, which is this? Stein: The World-Famous Normal Curve Interpretive Dance. Wasserman: Oh, heck yeah! Stein *to the class*: See, he graduated... Wasserman: ...three years ago. Stein: Three years ago, but it's still the highlight of his high school education. Wasserman: Absolutely!

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