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Defining Characteristics That Lead To Cost-Efficient Veteran Nba Free Agent Signings, David Mccain Apr 2023

Defining Characteristics That Lead To Cost-Efficient Veteran Nba Free Agent Signings, David Mccain

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Throughout the history of the NBA, decisions regarding the signing of free agents have been riddled with complexity. Franchises are tasked with finding out what players will serve as optimal free agent signings prior to seeing them perform within the framework of their team. This study hypothesizes that the adequacy of an NBA free agent signing can be modeled and predicted through the implementation of a machine learning model. The model will learn the necessary information using training and testing data sets that include various player biometrics, game statistics, and financial information. The application of this machine learning model will …


Changing Nfl Playoff Overtime Rules To Create Equal Opportunities To Win A Game, Matthew Silvia Apr 2023

Changing Nfl Playoff Overtime Rules To Create Equal Opportunities To Win A Game, Matthew Silvia

Honors Projects in Mathematics

The NFL has attempted to create fair overtime rules over the course of the past decade; however, this study is interested in determining what playoff overtime rule (or rules) could the NFL implement to result in outcomes where both teams have a relatively equal chance of winning a game. This study aims to find which overtime rules work best at minimizing the differences between teams who possess the ball first versus teams that kick the ball off to start an overtime period. By collecting various NFL statistics from ESPN.com and FantasyOutsiders.com, this study hopes to run multiple simulations of different …


Under Pressure: A Case Study Of The Effects Of External Pressure On Mlb Players Using Twitter Sentiment Analysis, Jonathan Huntley Nov 2021

Under Pressure: A Case Study Of The Effects Of External Pressure On Mlb Players Using Twitter Sentiment Analysis, Jonathan Huntley

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Performance under pressure and psychological momentum are well-documented topics in sports psychology, but most research focuses on “in-game” pressure. This study views pressure more broadly to examine how the external pressure of fans, quantified using the sentiment of tweets mentioning the players, can affect how MLB players perform. Although external pressure is intangible, it can impact a player’s psyche and performance. This investigation focuses on players Chris Sale and David Price. A new process was developed leveraging the Vader package in Python that can generate tweet sentiment to compare to several performance metrics from Baseball Reference. Results proved to be …


The Decline Of The Mid-Range Jump Shot In Basketball: A Study Of The Impact Of Data Analytics On Shooting Habits In The Nba, Shawn Kilcoyne Nov 2020

The Decline Of The Mid-Range Jump Shot In Basketball: A Study Of The Impact Of Data Analytics On Shooting Habits In The Nba, Shawn Kilcoyne

Honors Projects in Mathematics

The purpose of this thesis paper is to investigate the strategic shift away from the mid-range jump shot in basketball over the past decade. This paper will cover the rationale for the decline of the mid-range, as well as the general impact of data analytics on the way the game of basketball is played at the professional level. Following a review of the existing literature relating to the use of analytics in the NBA, this paper will analyze the differences in shooting habits between two seven-season periods. Data visualization tools, including boxplots, statistical trends, and distribution plots, will be used …


Under The Influence, Leonardo Cavicchio Apr 2018

Under The Influence, Leonardo Cavicchio

Honors Projects in Mathematics

The purpose of this Honors Capstone entitled Under the Influence is to assess the validity of claims concerning the possible influence of roommates on one another, concerning alcohol on college campuses. This will be done by examining data collected in a prior study conducted over a two-year period. This analysis will focus on how alcohol consumption changes in correlation with the personality factors of roommates over an extended period of time. This secondary analysis of de-identified data will focus on primary and secondary subquestions. The primary question that will be addressed with the data set collected from the University of …


What Is The True Cost To Stay In The Hospital?, Samantha Alicandro Apr 2016

What Is The True Cost To Stay In The Hospital?, Samantha Alicandro

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Currently, the unfortunate reality that receiving diverse health procedures can be extremely expensive is widely acknowledged and woefully accepted. However, have you inquired or been curious about the specific factors that influence the cost per day expensed by a hospital? Through examination, investigation, and evaluation operating SAS Enterprise Guide, SAS Enterprise Miner and Tableau I have attempted to arrive at a conclusion for this very question. Utilizing a 1.5 million row data set provided by Rhode Island, for the years 2003-2013, I analyzed the assorted elements conceivably bearing impact on the cost per day at a hospital. Regressions, decision trees, …


The Effect Of Tommy John (Ucl) Reconstructive Surgery On A Pitcher’S Arm And Career Progression, Jack Grant Apr 2016

The Effect Of Tommy John (Ucl) Reconstructive Surgery On A Pitcher’S Arm And Career Progression, Jack Grant

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Injuries have plagued professional athletes since their sports have been in existence. The examination of how teams can diminish the side effects of the injuries en route to a speedy recovery remains an evolving process and a topic of concern for all. Injury preventative tactics have been implemented by coaching staffs and various training personnel. Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers are noticing an increase in the number of surgeries performed each year. The tearing of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow has become a predominant injury among pitchers in the MLB. Reconstructive surgery, also known as Tommy John …


Predictions Of Success In The Actuarial Major, Jessica Soojian Apr 2016

Predictions Of Success In The Actuarial Major, Jessica Soojian

Honors Projects in Mathematics

This study finds predictive factors that have a significant effect on the ending Mathematics/Actuarial GPA of Actuarial majors at Bryant University. This was done to add clarity to incoming students for what it takes to do well in the actuarial major. There were 266 subjects consisting of Bryant students that graduated between the years 2009 and 2015. The data was received in the form of final transcripts upon graduation for these students. Through manipulation of these transcripts, GPAs were calculated for Mathematics/Actuarial, English/Literary Cultural Studies, History/Politics, Economics, Science, Social Sciences, Computer Information Systems, Finance, Accounting, Management, and Marketing. These GPAs …


Mathematical Modeling Of Trending Topics On Twitter, Jonathan S. Skaza Apr 2015

Mathematical Modeling Of Trending Topics On Twitter, Jonathan S. Skaza

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Created in 2006, Twitter is an online social networking service in which users share and read 140-character messages called Tweets. The site has approximately 288 million monthly active users who produce about 500 million Tweets per day. This study applies dynamical and statistical modeling strategies to quantify the spread of information on Twitter. Parameter estimates for the rates of infection and recovery are obtained using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The methodological strategy employed is an extension of techniques traditionally used in an epidemiological and biomedical context (particularly in the spread of infectious disease). This study, which addresses …