Describes the use of computer graphics simulations to enhance student understanding of sampling distributions that arise in introductory statistics. Highlights include the distribution of sample proportions, the distribution of the difference of sample means, the distribution of the difference of sample proportions, and the distribution of sample…

Developed are simple recursion formulas for generating the exact distribution of the longest run of heads, both for a fair coin and for a biased coin. Discusses the applications of runs-related phenomena such as molecular biology, Markov chains, geometric variables, and random variables. (YP)

Considers definitions of quantiles. Describes median and quartiles. Compares the usefulness of 3 different definitions of quartile using a computer program to simulate 500 quantiles on a sample of a fixed size. Five references are listed. (YP)

Many students doubt that statistical distributions are of practical value. Simulation makes it possible for students to tackle challenging, understandable projects that illustrate how distributions can be used to answer "what-if" questions of the type often posed by analysts. Course materials that have been developed over two years of classroom…