Understanding Statistics: An Introduction

The modern world is brimming with statistical information—information relevant to our personal health and safety, the weather, or the robustness of the national or global economy, to name just a few examples. But don’t statistics lie?

Well, no—people lie, and sometimes they use statistical language to do it. Knowing when you’re being hoodwinked requires a degree of statistical literacy, but most people don’t learn how to interpret statistical claims unless they take a formal course that trai...