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Dr James Abdey

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Probability and Statistics: To p or not to p?

University of London

About this Course

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We live in an uncertain and complex world, yet we continually have to make decisions in the present with uncertain future outcomes.  Indeed, we should be on the look-out for "black swans" - low-probability high-impact events.
To study, or not to study?  To invest, or not to invest?  To marry, or not to marry?

While uncertainty makes decision-making difficult, it does at least make life exciting!  If the entire future was known in advance, there would never be an element of surprise.  Whether a good future or a bad future, it would be a known future.

In this course we consider many useful tools to deal with uncertainty and help us to make informed (and hence better) decisions - essential skills for a lifetime of good decision-making.

Key topics include quantifying uncertainty with probability, descriptive statistics, point and interval estimation of means and proportions, the basics of hypothesis testing, and a selection of multivariate applications of key terms and concepts seen throughout the course.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.78/5 (430 Ratings)

Dr James Abdey

Assistant Professorial Lecturer, LSE

University of London

74,053 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of London

The University of London is a federal University which includes 17 world leading Colleges. With extensive experience in distance learning since 1858, University of London has enriched the lives of thousands of students, delivering high quality degrees across the globe. Today, University of London is a global leader in flexible study, offering degree programmes to over 45,000 students in over 190 countries, delivering world-leading research across the world. To find out more about University of London, visit www.london.ac.uk

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating96%(7,147 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Dealing with Uncertainty and Complexity in a Chaotic World

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 68 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

8 videos

Welcome!3m1.1 The Monty Hall Problem9m1.2 Decision Making Under Uncertainty10m1.3 Uncertainty in the News9m1.4 Simplicity vs. Complexity - The Need for Models10m1.5 Safe to Assume? Beware, When Model Assumptions Go Wrong!9m1.6 Roadmap of the Course9mWeek One Summary and Key Takeaways4m

6 readings

1.1 The Monty Hall Problem10m1.2 Decision Making Under Uncertainty10m1.3 Uncertainty in the News10m1.4 Simplicity vs. Complexity - The Need for Models10m1.5 Safe to Assume? Beware, When Model Assumptions Go Wrong!10m1.6 Roadmap of the Course10m

1 practice exercise

Week One Quiz30m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Quantifying Uncertainty With Probability

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 74 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

2.1 Probability Principles13m2.2 Simple Probability Distributions11m2.3 Expectation of Random Variables13m2.4 Bayesian Updating11m2.5 Parameters9m2.6 The Distribution Zoo11mWeek Two Summary and Key Takeaways4m

6 readings

2.1 Probability Principles10m2.2 Simple Probability Distributions10m2.3 Expectation of Random Variables10m2.4 Bayesian Updating10m2.5 Parameters10m2.6 The Distribution Zoo10m

1 practice exercise

Week Two Quiz30m

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Describing The World The Statistical Way

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 78 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

7 videos

3.1 Classify Your Variables!11m3.2 Data Visualisation11m3.3 Descriptive Statistics - Measures of Central Tendency13m3.4 Descriptive Statistics - Measures of Spread10m3.5 The Normal Distribution11m3.6 Variance of Random Variables13mWeek Three Summary and Key Takeaways5m

6 readings

3.1 Classify Your Variables!10m3.2 Data Visualisation10m3.3 Descriptive Statistics - Measures of Central Tendency10m3.4 Descriptive Statistics - Measures of Spread10m3.5 The Normal Distribution10m3.6 Variance of Random Variables10m

1 practice exercise

Week Three Quiz

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

On Your Marks, Get Set, Infer!

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 78 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

4.1 Introduction to Sampling12m4.2 Random Sampling11m4.3 Further Random Sampling12m4.4 Sampling Distributions11m4.5 Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean11m4.6 Confidence Intervals13mWeek Four Summary and Key Takeaways5m

6 readings

4.1 Introduction to Sampling10m4.2 Random Sampling10m4.3 Further Random Sampling10m4.4 Sampling Distributions10m4.5 Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean10m4.6 Confidence Intervals10m

1 practice exercise

Week Four Quiz

Reviews

4.6

467 reviews

5 stars
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2 stars
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TOP REVIEWS FROM PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS: TO P OR NOT TO P?

by MVJan 4, 2020

As a beginner, this course is quite difficult for me. Anyway, it is very well-done and Dr James Abdey is a great teacher, thus I found it enjoyable. I recommend it.

by SAJan 29, 2021

This is a fantastic introductory course! Hats off to the instructor! As he suggests at the end of the course, this is the beginning for anyone interested in studying uncertainty!

by DJJun 5, 2020

The course was good, but there was a lack of examples taught. It was mostly a theoretical course as compared to other courses on Coursera teaching the same subject.

by NSApr 22, 2021

James Abdey is an excellent lecturer. He explains clearly while using a lot of examples from real life applications. I am considering to read his PhD thesis (even though I don't have insomnia :-))

View all reviews

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Probability and Statistics: To p or not to p?

Probability and Statistics: To p or not to p?

About this Course