I am not surprised. I work in the US and I also handle a lot of graduate students in the biological sciences as well as in the field of business administration. About 85% of these students have no understanding about linear regression or about slope or even if they know it, they have no understanding about what it implies. Microsoft Excel has taken the understanding out of statistics. I don't expect them to know it either, since they learn it as they go. I am sure all of them would learn a lot of regression analysis in colleges, but just like most of us, we tend to shed information that we don't usually use. So the criticism of this student is uncalled for. I appreciate Sudheer in taking a pro-active approach in trying to understand slope and its implications in the equation. I would also say the comments from Wo about being politically correct is the main problem we face in students today. A lack of scientific rigour in learning the right way of doing things, but just trying to trick the system into getting marks. A person who tells me that it is perfectly OK to put a dependent variable on the horizontal axis, since he thinks that it is easier to trick the system should be the focus of criticism rather than a person who is trying to understand something he has not learned before.
Jay -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of DK Sent: Monday, March 21, 2011 10:43 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Can anyone please tell about slope function In article <[email protected]>, sudheer babu <[email protected]> wrote: >Hi all >Can anyone please tell what is the exact function and use of SLOPE , which >calculates by y=mx+c formula. I found that slope defines the measurement of >line, but my doubt is that I have done protein estimation by bradford >method. Then I plotted a straight line graph based on results. Here what is >the use of calculating slope??? May be I am asking trivial question, I am >kindergarten to mathematics, can anyone please explain me. >ITC student >Institute of Biochemistry >Biological Research Center >Szeged,Hungary. I know I will be called a bad, bad person but it really bugs me and I think it's a fair question: How did we ever get to the point that a person who does not understand linear equation can: 1. Graduate from high school? 2. Be accepted to college? 3. Be allowed to do scientific work in the lab? DK _______________________________________________ Methods mailing list [email protected] http://www.bio.net/biomail/listinfo/methods This email message may contain legally privileged and/or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient(s), or the employee or agent responsible for the delivery of this message to the intended recipient(s), you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of this email message is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by e-mail and delete this email message from your computer. Thank you. _______________________________________________ Methods mailing list [email protected] http://www.bio.net/biomail/listinfo/methods
