Can distributional approximations give exact answers?

• Martin Griffiths ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Oxford

     University of Oxford

     Oxford District, Reino Unido

     
• Localización: Teaching mathematics and its applications, ISSN 0268-3679, Vol. 32, Nº. 1, 2013, págs. 47-54
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Some mathematical activities and investigations for the classroom or the lecture theatre can appear rather contrived. This cannot, however, be levelled at the idea given here, since it is based on a perfectly sensible question concerning distributional approximations that was posed by an undergraduate student. Out of this simple question, and subsequent investigation, a wealth of mathematical and statistical material is covered. We go on to discuss the educational benefits of carrying out activities such as the one suggested here.