Summary statistics and data visualizations are often used to explore data and draw preliminary conclusions. Although valuable, these tools do not always reveal the underlying patterns and trends in the data and can sometimes be misleading. We describe an approach for teaching the need for more advanced statistical analysis using multiple linear…

Percentage of body fat, age, weight, height, and 14 circumference measurements (e.g., waist) are given for 184 women aged 18-25. Body fat, one measure of health, was accurately determined by an underwater weighing technique which requires special equipment and training of the individuals conducting the process. Modeling body fat percentage using…

As anyone who has taught or taken a statistics course knows, statistical calculations can be tedious and error-prone, with the details of a calculation sometimes distracting students from understanding the larger concepts. Traditional statistics courses typically use scientific calculators, which can relieve some of the tedium and errors but…

This note presents a spreadsheet tool that allows teachers the opportunity to guide students towards answering on their own questions related to the multiple regression F-test, the t-tests, and multicollinearity. The note demonstrates approaches for using the spreadsheet that might be appropriate for three different levels of statistics classes,…

When the author first used "VisiCalc," the author thought it a very useful tool when he had the formulas. But how could he design a spreadsheet if there was no known formula for the quantities he was trying to predict? A few months later, the author relates he learned to use multiple linear regression software and suddenly it all clicked into…

A semi-quantitative model has been developed to estimate the relative effects of dispersion, dipole-dipole interactions, and H-bonding on the normal boiling points ("T[subscript b]") for a subset of simple organic systems. The model is based upon a statistical analysis using multiple linear regression on a series of straight-chain organic…

Describes a course which uses integrated electronic spreadsheets for computer assisted instruction in teaching multiple regression analysis. The process of implementing the method is explained, tips on worksheet arrangement are given, and advantages of using electronic spreadsheets are delineated. (Author/MBR)

A demonstration of how statistics courses may be enhanced through the incorporation of computer packages is presented. A statistical analysis course given at the State University of New York at Fredonia is described. It is suggested that many other courses would be enhanced by augmenting them with computer packages. (MLW)

Rectifies the unsatisfactory textbook treatment of the finite-sample proprieties of estimators of regression models with a lagged dependent variable and autocorrelated disturbances. Maintains that the bias of the ordinary least squares estimator is determined by the dynamic and correlation effects. (MJP)