Statistics

Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called “sexy.” From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you’ll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in Naked Statistics, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more.

If you work with data and need easy access to clear, reliable definitions and explanations of modern statistical and statistics-related concepts, then look no further than this dictionary. Nearly 4000 terms are defined, covering medical, survey, theoretical, and applied statistics, including computational and graphical aspects. Entries are provided for standard and specialized statistical software. In addition, short biographies of over 100 important statisticians are given. Definitions provide enough mathematical detail to clarify concepts and give standard formula when these are helpful. The majority of definitions then give a reference to a book or article where the user can seek further or more specialized information, and many are accompanied by graphical material to aid understanding.

This Second Edition of Dana K. Keller’s The Tao of Statistics: A Path to Understanding (With No Math) provides a reader-friendly approach to statistics in plain English. Unlike other statistics books, this text explains what statistics mean and how they are used, rather than how to calculate them. The book walks readers through basic concepts as well as some of the most complex statistical models in use. The Second Edition adds coverage of big data to better address its impact on p-values and other key concepts; material on small data to show readers how to handle data with fewer data points than optimal; and other new topics like missing data and effect sizes. The book’s two characters (a high school principal and a director of public health) return in the revised edition, with their examples expanded and updated with reference to contemporary concerns in the fields of education and health.

A unique source for details about the socioeconomic trends of the last half of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st. It includes comprehensive coverage of historical statistics, including single-year data on many topics such as school enrollment, SAT scores, hospital admissions, employment status of men and women, living arrangements of children, marital status, and geographic mobility. Demographics of the U.S. documents the trends of the 50-plus years by compiling historical numbers that cannot be found in a single volume anywhere else. Its ten chapters examine trends in Americans' attitudes and behavior, education, health, housing, income, labor force participation, living arrangements, population, spending, and wealth.

We all swim in a sea of Big Data, dangerously vulnerable to the unscientific thinking that now replaces the critical faculties we used to rely on. We seek simple explanations where complexity is required. But as we endeavor to solve global problems of energy, food, and water shortages, a planetary biodiversity crisis, and emerging threats to our public health, the development of scientific habits of mind becomes even more essential for our survival. We fear numbers and prefer neat and simple solutions to complex problems, but scientific reasoning plays a central role in combating misinformation and is one of our best tools for meeting the upcoming crises of our century. From confronting our fear of quantitative reasoning and demystifying graphs to elucidating the key concepts of probability and data analysis and the use of precise language and logic, this book supplies an essential set of apps for the frontal cortex while making science both accessible and entertaining. Who says it has to be dull to learn to think like a scientist? Who says only a few can do it? Not David Helfand, one of our nation’s leading astronomers and science educators. Helfand has taught scientific habits of mind to generations of Columbia University undergraduates, where he continues to wage a provocative and necessary battle against sloppy thinking and the encroachment of misinformation

This reference guide provides readers with the frequently elusive link between statistical results and practical applications. Students will learn the basic concepts and principles of statistics and probability, without getting bogged down in complicated theories and abstractions.

This book introduces statistical concepts in an easy-to-understand style through simple plain English, avoiding as much as possible the complexities of mathematics. Intended as a useful supplement for statistics, the book should benefit all those with statistics anxiety.

This book represents the latest trend toward providing a conceptual understanding of statistics. Provides a good comprehensive introduction to the subject for liberal arts, education, and social science undergraduates and graduate students.