CEE 3040 - Uncertainty Analysis in Engineering

Fall. 4 credits.

Prerequisite: first-year calculus.

J. R. Stedinger.

Introduction to probability theory and statistical techniques, with examples from civil, environmental, biological, and related disciplines. Covers data presentation, commonly used probability distributions describing natural phenomena and material properties, parameter estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, simple linear regression, and nonparametric statistics. Examples include structural reliability, wind speed/flood distributions, pollutant concentrations, surveys and models of vehicle arrivals and other independent events.

Outcome 1: Introduce students to the basic framework provided by probability theory for analyzing problems exhibiting variability and uncertainty.

Outcome 2: Introduce students to the basic methods and concepts employed in statistics to estimate the parameters of models, make decisions, and to describe uncertainty.

Outcome 3: Prepare students to be able to use statistical methods with confidence during their professional careers (perhaps after further study).

Outcome 4: Encourage students to reflect on their own learning styles and educational objectives.