In the back of any statistics book, you have these probability distribution tables. The tables give you the probability of obtaining a particular result in your test statistic. Most of the tables are designed to irritate the average person. You have this thing called degrees of freedom. And you need to calculate your degrees of freedom in order to arrive at a F statistic. But it doesn’t stop there because you need to identify the right probability header. Quick advice: if you do not know how to use this table…..find out before the end of the semester. Because the classes you take after the first one, require an understanding of the distribution tables. And what each table represents in terms of hypothesis testing and statistical output. Please don’t wait until the last minute to ‘get it’. I will give you a brief cautionary tale about Suzy.
Suzy took statistics with 15 other credits (18 credits in all). Suzy underestimated her stats class and on the eve of the final she made a cheat sheet for her in-class exam. In her mind, there was no time to dedicate for the course. So she said to herself ‘I am a smart girl…it’s open book…I will just wing it’. And she did wing it alright. Chicken winged it. She never learned how to use the tables. The exam swallowed whole and spit her out. And she ended up with a bad grade that destroyed her GPA. Don’t be like Suzy.
-Moore to Follow-Amy
