Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them All (2005)

Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by megaduck on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @12:59PM (#626993)

The problem isn't that people know nothing about statistics. The problem is that they think they know more than they actually do. It's fairly easy to get past your "intro to stats" class with only a passing familiarity with the subject and no deep understanding. Only once you truly grasp stats do you realize that you don't actually know anything.

Any statistical formula will predict its own failure. That's kind of mind-blowing, and the implications aren't always grasped after just one semester (or quarter) studying the topic.

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by m_ on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @01:15PM (#627019)

I studied CS and I got past my "intro to stats" class with only a passing familiarity with the subject and no deep understanding (aside from the probability aspects of the course).

The professor was very poor overall. I was able to cram enough to do well, but I retained very little after the final. I would love a deep understanding built from the foundations-- the coursework we had was a lot more obtuse and "take my word for it".

In a sense, I felt I got a better foundation for statistics from a freshman sociology class than from the Math professor.

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by stcredzero on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @02:18PM (#627163)

Why aren't there statistics for CS classes that put stats primarily in the context of system profiling and metrics? Are there any out there?

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by cschep on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @02:36PM (#627206)

That would have been cool. Stats wasn't required for us, but if it would have been Statistical Analysis of Computer Systems(or programs, or whatever), I would have signed up for it anyway.

I heard the stats class offered where I went to school was a joke so I didn't pursue it optionally. I'm sure it's different depending on your university.

Also, my school was not renowned for any sciences.

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by ZeroGravitas on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @03:41PM (#627364)

I once listened to a stats professor bemoaning that he had to teach stats to various groups of students in their first year when they didn't know enough about their own subjects for him to use any relevant examples.

Since stats on it's own can be a bit abstract that's a double whammy.

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by stcredzero on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @04:38PM (#627463)

Then stats in CS should be a 2nd or 3rd year course. By then, there should be a great deal of material usable as examples.

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by stcredzero on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @03:17PM (#627300)

A really good textbook along these lines might really be something.

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by mr_justin on Tuesday May 26, 2009 @05:07PM (#627514)

By "intro to stats" do you mean the calc-based stats class that most people in CS take? I'd hardly call that an intro class considering you need to complete Calc I & II before enrolling.

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Re:Programmers Need To Learn Statistics Or I Will Kill Them ... by likpok on Wednesday May 27, 2009 @10:08AM (#628475)

Like many things, Stats is a vast field. Would you call a class about the basics of groups and rings anything other than an intro to abstract algebra, even though most places require both calculus and a fair amount of mathematical background?

This is sort of Zed's point. It is an intro class into a field with a great deal of depth. All you can do in one undergraduate semester is touch on a few of the most important parts.

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