Discussion #1- Statistics is useful in all fields of studies including business, sports, healthcare, and criminal justice.
• Discuss how statistics is related to your field of study.
• What question would you be interested in answering?
• What data would you collect and how would you collect the data to help answer this question?
• What statistics do you want to find, such as mean, median, variance?
• What conclusions can be drawn based on the results?
Discussion #2
1) In this course, we may be discussing environmental issues about which you may already have strong pre-conceived opinions - opinions which may get in the way of your informing or adjusting them in light of new information and your own research.
• What is the difference between how the word "theory" is used in science, and how the word "theory" is used in everyday, common conversation?
• What would be the consequences if one worker building a house was using the math 2+2=4, while his co-worker felt it was his freedom of choice to use the math 2+2=5? What would be the consequences for an entire nation or society if it ran on such different math or different science?
• Why would special commercial interests wish to influence what is scientifically accepted by the general public? Which special commercial interests in our society are best positioned to exert that influence on government and public opinion, and have the resources to do so?
• How will you ensure that you are learning and applying "sound science" in our class?
2) Do you agree with the following statement? "The world will never run out of resources because we can use technology to find substitutes; this will help us reduce resource waste." Explain your position.