Data Science Math Skills
Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.
Ask Coursera
13,013 reviews
13,013 reviews
Details to know
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
There are 4 modules in this course
Data science courses contain math—no avoiding that! This course is designed to teach learners the basic math you will need in order to be successful in almost any data science math course and was created for learners who have basic math skills but may not have taken algebra or pre-calculus. Data Science Math Skills introduces the core math that data science is built upon, with no extra complexity, introducing unfamiliar ideas and math symbols one-at-a-time.
Learners who complete this course will master the vocabulary, notation, concepts, and algebra rules that all data scientists must know before moving on to more advanced material. Topics include: ~Set theory, including Venn diagrams ~Properties of the real number line ~Interval notation and algebra with inequalities ~Uses for summation and Sigma notation ~Math on the Cartesian (x,y) plane, slope and distance formulas ~Graphing and describing functions and their inverses on the x-y plane, ~The concept of instantaneous rate of change and tangent lines to a curve ~Exponents, logarithms, and the natural log function. ~Probability theory, including Bayes’ theorem. While this course is intended as a general introduction to the math skills needed for data science, it can be considered a prerequisite for learners interested in the course, "Mastering Data Analysis in Excel," which is part of the Excel to MySQL Data Science Specialization. Learners who master Data Science Math Skills will be fully prepared for success with the more advanced math concepts introduced in "Mastering Data Analysis in Excel." Good luck and we hope you enjoy the course!
This module contains four lessons that provide details on the course structure and build basic math vocabulary. The first lesson, "Introduction to Data Science Math Skills," includes an overview of the course structure, working process, and information about course certificates, quizzes, video lectures, and other important course details. The second lesson, "Sets and What They’re Good For," walks you through the basic notions of set theory, including unions, intersections, and cardinality. It also gives a real-world application to medical testing. The third lesson, "The Infinite World of Real Numbers," explains notation we use to discuss intervals on the real number line. The module concludes with the fourth lesson, "That Jagged S Symbol," where you will learn how to compactly express a long series of additions and use this skill to define statistical quantities like mean and variance.
What's included
11 videos7 readings4 assignments
11 videos•Total 95 minutes
- Welcome to Data Science Math Skills•3 minutes
- Sets - Basics and Vocabulary•10 minutes
- Sets - Medical Testing Example•11 minutes
- Sets - Venn Diagrams•8 minutes
- Numbers - The Real Number Line•10 minutes
- Numbers - Less-than and Greater-than•7 minutes
- Numbers - Algebra With Inequalities•10 minutes
- Numbers - Intervals and Interval Notation•8 minutes
- Sigma Notation - Introduction to Summation•9 minutes
- Sigma Notation - Simplification Rules•7 minutes
- Sigma Notation - Mean and Variance•13 minutes
7 readings•Total 53 minutes
- Course Information•5 minutes
- Weekly feedback surveys•10 minutes
- Report a Problem with the Course•5 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•3 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•10 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•10 minutes
- Feedback•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 95 minutes
- Graded quiz on Sets, Number Line, Inequalities, Simplification, and Sigma Notation•35 minutes
- Practice quiz on Sets•15 minutes
- Practice quiz on the Number Line, including Inequalities•25 minutes
- Practice quiz on Simplification Rules and Sigma Notation•20 minutes
This module builds vocabulary for graphing functions in the plane. In the first lesson, "Descartes Was Really Smart," you will get to know the Cartesian Plane, measure distance in it, and find the equations of lines. The second lesson introduces the idea of a function as an input-output machine, shows you how to graph functions in the Cartesian Plane, and goes over important vocabulary.
What's included
8 videos3 readings3 assignments
8 videos•Total 72 minutes
- Cartesian Plane - Plotting Points•7 minutes
- Cartesian Plane - Distance Formula•10 minutes
- Cartesian Plane - Point-Slope Formula for Lines•8 minutes
- Cartesian Plane: Slope-Intercept Formula for Lines•7 minutes
- Functions - Mapping from Sets to Sets•7 minutes
- Functions - Graphing in the Cartesian Plane•12 minutes
- Functions - Increasing and Decreasing Functions•10 minutes
- Functions - Composition and Inverse•11 minutes
3 readings•Total 16 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•3 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•3 minutes
- Feedback•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 75 minutes
- Graded quiz on Cartesian Plane and Types of Function•40 minutes
- Practice quiz on the Cartesian Plane•15 minutes
- Practice quiz on Types of Functions•20 minutes
This module begins a very gentle introduction to the calculus concept of the derivative. The first lesson, "This is About the Derivative Stuff," will give basic definitions, work a few examples, and show you how to apply these concepts to the real-world problem of optimization. We then turn to exponents and logarithms, and explain the rules and notation for these math tools. Finally we learn about the rate of change of continuous growth, and the special constant known as “e” that captures this concept in a single number—near 2.718.
What's included
7 videos3 readings3 assignments
7 videos•Total 66 minutes
- Tangent Lines - Slope of a Graph at a Point•10 minutes
- Tangent Lines - The Derivative Function•9 minutes
- Using Integer Exponents•8 minutes
- Simplification Rules for Algebra using Exponents•11 minutes
- How Logarithms and Exponents are Related•13 minutes
- The Change of Base Formula•4 minutes
- The Rate of Growth of Continuous Processes•11 minutes
3 readings•Total 23 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•10 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•3 minutes
- Feedback•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 95 minutes
- Graded quiz on Tangent Lines to Functions, Exponents and Logarithms •45 minutes
- Practice Quiz on Tangent Lines to Functions •10 minutes
- Practice quiz on Exponents and Logarithms•40 minutes
This module introduces the vocabulary and notation of probability theory – mathematics for the study of outcomes that are uncertain but have predictable rates of occurrence. We start with the basic definitions and rules of probability, including the probability of two or more events both occurring, the sum rule and the product rule, and then proceed to Bayes’ Theorem and how it is used in practical problems.
What's included
8 videos4 readings4 assignments
8 videos•Total 66 minutes
- Probability Definitions and Notation•8 minutes
- Joint Probabilities•6 minutes
- Permutations and Combinations•12 minutes
- Using Factorial and “M choose N”•7 minutes
- The Sum Rule, Conditional Probability, and the Product Rule•9 minutes
- Bayes’ Theorem (Part 1)•11 minutes
- Bayes’ Theorem (Part 2)•5 minutes
- The Binomial Theorem and Bayes Theorem•8 minutes
4 readings•Total 19 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•3 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•3 minutes
- A note about the video lectures in this lesson•3 minutes
- Feedback•10 minutes
4 assignments•Total 125 minutes
- Probability (basic and Intermediate) Graded Quiz•50 minutes
- Practice quiz on Probability Concepts•25 minutes
- Practice quiz on Problem Solving•25 minutes
- Practice quiz on Bayes Theorem and the Binomial Theorem•25 minutes
Instructors
Offered by
Explore more from Math and Logic
- Status: Free Trial
- Status: Free TrialU
University of Pittsburgh
Specialization
- Status: PreviewC
Coursera
Course
- Status: Free Trial
Course
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
- 5 stars
65.91%
- 4 stars
26.18%
- 3 stars
5.30%
- 2 stars
1.58%
- 1 star
1.01%
Showing 3 of 13013
Reviewed on Sep 16, 2017
Good refresher. Weeks 3 and 4 are much more difficult to follow than one and two. Part of this is due to the subject matter but also a change of teacher / and style makes it more difficult.
Reviewed on May 29, 2020
Great refresher and primer. The section on Probability and Bayes Theory needs a lot more support material (video and notes) as it can get tricky and abstract, especially when doing the quizzes.
Reviewed on Nov 17, 2019
I thought this course was a nice refresher on basic mathematical concepts and it introduced me to set theory and probability very well! I think I am better prepared for data science afterward!
Frequently asked questions
No. Completion of a Coursera course does not earn you academic credit from Duke; therefore, Duke is not able to provide you with a university transcript. However, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
More questions
Financial aid available,
