The Statistical Odyssey of Herkimer and the Stat Pack
by
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INTRODUCTION
My friend Herkimer has been associated with me for about 30 years. His face is familiar to three decades of graduates from the Cate School in Carpinteria, California, where I taught for 40 years. He is also familiar to my students at Santa Barbara City College, where I am now an adjunct instructor in mathematics. He has been a constant source of mathematical puzzles, historical tidbits, inspirational quotes, bad jokes, and questions relating to why his eyes are always shut and his mouth is always open.
Yes, Herkimer is a fantasy character. He is with me at all times although he is not visible to my friends or my students. He is similar to Hobbes in the cartoon series Calvin and Hobbes. Hobbes is the imaginary tiger who is present when Calvin needs to talk about events, circumstances, or problems.
My buddy Herkimer recently accepted a new challenge. He decided that he would make himself visible to assist students who are making sincere efforts to study and understand the fascinating branch of mathematics we call statistics. He found such a group consisting of five boys and five girls. These are serious students who, during the course of study, will progress from introductory concepts to sophisticated topics such as inference and hypothesis testing. They refer to their group as the STAT PACK. Herkimer thought that was a clever name.
Herkimer is not the teacher of the PACK, but he is always present when the group has discussions relating to statistical topics they are studying. He provides some stimulating questions and some activities to reinforce or highlight the learning process. Only the PACK members are aware of his presence. He is readily accepted as a member of the group.
This book is designed to be educational, easily-readable, and entertaining. It is not meant to be a text. It could be used as a text supplement in a statistics course. It is assumed that STAT PACK members are somewhat familiar with the statistical lingo they use in discussions with Herkimer. In other words, Herkimer works on the assumption that PACK members have done their homework. As the reader will quickly realize, Herkimer does have a sense of humor. He is a genuine punster. He provides Pack members with humorous statistical quizzes along with tidbits of mathematics history. He also is a great source for inspirational and mathematical quotes and U. S. geography puzzles. I hope you will enjoy Herkimer's entertaining and enjoyable educational journey with the STAT PACK.
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Book Details
About the Book
This is a story about 10 students (the Stat Pack) who are working their way through an introductory course in statistics. They are serious students who progress from introductory statistical concepts to sophisticated topics such as inference and hypothesis testing. Their leader in this educational adventure is Herkimer, a cartoon character who provides stimulating questions and activities to enhance the learning process. Herkimer is not the teacher, but he is always present when Pack members have discussions relating to topics they are studying. He is a Hobbs-like character (for those familiar with the Calvin and Hobbs comic strip) who is visible only to the Pack. There are a total of 108 vignettes in the book, each representing a statistical encounter involving Herkimer and the Stat Pack. After each set of five vignettes, Herkimer provides a break page containing inspirational and mathematical quotes, origins of mathematical words, mathematics history tidbits, humorous probability quizzes, and United States geography activities.
The book offers the reader an opportunity to extend his/her knowledge of the geography of the United States, including learning capital cities, state mottos, and the origin of state names. The Separator State Challenges represent a unique set of activities for those wishing to learn about U.S. Geography. Herkimer and the Stat Pack discuss and analyze probability problems involving bingo, poker, craps, bridge, roulette, the California Lottery, the famous birthday problem, and the three-door problem that perplexed mathematicians throughout the country.
About the Author
Sanderson Smith taught mathematics for 40 years at the Cate School in Carpinteria, California where both a Teaching Chair and a Scholarship Fund have been established in his honor. During his career at Cate, Smith was the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, the California Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching, a Tandy Technology School Award, a Triangle Coalition Congressional Fellowship, a National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation, and a SCI-MAT Fellowship from the Council for Basic Education.
Smith is the author of numerous mathematically-related books and articles, including the very popular book Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math. He is a frequent speaker at math conferences. His entertaining and educational presentation Promoting Mathematics History Through Humoris well-received by audiences of math teachers.
Smith has co-directed numerous statistical quantitative literacy workshops for teachers sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the American Statistical Association. He has served on the California Presidential Award Selection Committee and the Educational Materials Committee of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). He was appointed Chair of a national scholarship committee that provides financial aid for college students who plan to pursue a career in mathematics education. Perhaps his greatest honor occurred when Presidential Award recipients throughout the United States and U.S. territories elected him to the office of President of the Council of Presidential Awardees in Mathematics (CPAM).
Smith retired as a full-time teacher at Cate School in June of 2004. He now teaches mathematics part time at Santa Barbara City College and tutors at a local elementary school. He and his wife of 49 years, Barbara, devote time each week to community service activities in Carpinteria, where they now reside.