Buying textbooks based on unit guides (1 Viewer)

[Papercutter]

Hello again!

I am wondering whether I should purchase the prescribed textbooks for my courses now, or wait until the 2018 unit guides come out? The only problem with buying textbooks now, is that I would have to base it on the previous year's guide - and I have heard that they can sometimes (not usually) change the required materials that students should use.

What are your recommendations?

These are my units for Session 1 btw: BIOL114, ENVS117, GEOS112, STAT171

Thanks,

 

[weaknuclearforce]

Those 1st year core units are unlikely to change their text resources. Geos112, for example, is a book designed specifically for the unit.
As for purchasing; another option is to borrow from the library until such time as the prescribed texts are recalled and put in the reference section.

 

[BLIT2014]

I'd personally wait until February and use textbook finder on https://www.coop.com.au/ for MQ uni.

 

[BenHowe]

the stat one is useless. I bought it like a pleb. The lecturer (Suzanne I think) prescribes because if a certain percentage of the students enrolled in the course don't but the textbook she is unable to do her quizzes through the associated online software. I'd recommend this youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/jbstatistics/playlists, especially this playlist in addition to the material https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHcrna8Fk18&list=PLvxOuBpazmsNIHP5cz37oOPZx0JKyNszN

 

[Papercutter]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will probably hold off on getting the textbooks until February. Plenty of time still.

 

[Papercutter]

the stat one is useless. I bought it like a pleb. The lecturer (Suzanne I think) prescribes because if a certain percentage of the students enrolled in the course don't but the textbook she is unable to do her quizzes through the associated online software. I'd recommend this youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/jbstatistics/playlists, especially this playlist in addition to the material https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHcrna8Fk18&list=PLvxOuBpazmsNIHP5cz37oOPZx0JKyNszN

Yea its Suzanne still.

Jeremy Balka is an absolute legend. He explains everything clearly in a simple way thats easy to understand. I watched a few of his videos on probability distributions after looking at the course guide for STAT171 (just to get a taste of what the unit will have in store). The videos will be great as extra help.

 

[BenHowe]

Yea its Suzanne still.

Jeremy Balka is an absolute legend. He explains everything clearly in a simple way thats easy to understand. I watched a few of his videos on probability distributions after looking at the course guide for STAT171 (just to get a taste of what the unit will have in store). The videos will be great as extra help.

I also made a formula sheet in LaTeX for stat171. You're welcome to use it. Note though I have to update one or two thing for the final topics but for ur class tests it will be all good

Here's the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WJPNhGqdOCbQQd58ssCZVA3glKihyMJp/view?usp=sharing

 

[Papercutter]

I also made a formula sheet in LaTeX for stat171. You're welcome to use it. Note though I have to update one or two thing for the final topics but for ur class tests it will be all good

Here's the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WJPNhGqdOCbQQd58ssCZVA3glKihyMJp/view?usp=sharing

Many thanks Ben. That is a lot of (complex-looking) formulas :S

 

[BenHowe]

It's not that bad. Once you understand all the technical stuff (the proofs aren't assessable and are largely omitted) it's just about reading the question and identifying what type of distribution/test etc to use. Oh there are two things worth noting:

Firstly, generally, when you are doing a multi-part question or calculating stuff always save the intermediate steps as values in your calculator to reduce excessive rounding error. NEVER round your intermediate steps unless the question specifies to do so.

Secondly, with regards to STAT171, one of the more difficult concepts is understanding the questions, they are often themed, and how you can directly relate the assumption or limitations of the distribution or model to that question and the difference between physical and statistical independence.

 

[Papercutter]

Will see how I go with this unit ~

Also, is it worth learning the basics of MiniTab (Version 17) by myself or I am assuming they will teach us how to use it?

 

[BenHowe]

lol don't waste your time. They show you how to use minitab for the assignment. Minitab is bad lol. For stat171 youll use some of it but for other stuff it is my opinion that you should learn how to use excel and r, cause minitab relative to those is frankly redundant.

 

[Papercutter]

Sweet. I don't think I'll use minitab for anything else but stat171, seeing as it is my only math/math-related unit for my entire degree - which is a bit sad because I enjoy mathematics.


Thanks for all the advice!

 

[BenHowe]

You can do maths if you want, just do 2 units over summer school and then you can pick up 2 math units.

 

[STUDENT K]

so should we buy textbooks in advance or wait until we start the course?