Bare Statistics. The Most Interesting Book About the Most Boring Science

The first book on statistics that is interesting (and useful) to read. Most people (especially students, though after a statistics class they may passionately discuss their GPAs and the statistical indicators of their favorite baseball players) find statistics dull and useless. So why does the chief economist at Google call it 'sexy'? In fact, statistics is very interesting if explained like Charlie Whelan does, and it is practical because it answers many important questions: How does Netflix determine which movies you might like? What behavior is correct when solving the 'Monty Hall Paradox'? How can we identify which habits and behaviors cause cancer without experimenting on humans? Does it help patients that someone is praying for them? Are there economic benefits to obtaining a degree? How can we identify which schools are cheating on test scores? How do we compare two baseball players (basketball, football, or another sport)? How can we make accurate conclusions about the entire population of a country by surveying a few thousand people? How can a supermarket determine pregnancy just by looking at a shopping list (none of which directly indicate pregnancy)? Statistics helps make important social decisions, find hidden relationships between phenomena, and better understand the situation in business and the market. Charles Whelan explains how statistics helps find answers to these and other questions, doing so with humor and brilliant visual examples. For students and those who want to apply the knowledge gained in their work, each chapter includes an appendix with key formulas and graphs that can be skipped if you just want to learn more about statistics and understand its key indicators and ideas. At the end of the book, there is a review of the main applications for working with statistical data that will be useful for all practitioners. Who is this book for: For students who do not like or understand statistics but want to this time. For marketers, managers, and analysts who want to understand statistical indicators and analyze data. For everyone interested in how statistics works.