Product Description

In the numbers explosion all around us in our modern-day dealings, the buzzword is data, as in, “Do you have any data to support your claim?” “The data supported the original hypothesis that . . .” and “The data bear this out. . . .” But the field of statistics is not just about data. Statistics is the entire process involved in gathering evidence to answer questions about the world, in cases where that evidence happens to be numerical data.

Statistics For Dummies is for everyone who wants to sort through and evaluate the incredible amount of statistical information that comes to them on a daily basis. (You know the stuff: charts, graphs, tables, as well as headlines that talk about the results of the latest poll, survey, experiment, or other scientific study.) This book arms you with the ability to decipher and make important decisions about statistical results, being ever aware of the ways in which people can mislead you with statistics. Get the inside scoop on number-crunching nuances, plus insight into how you can

• Determine the odds
• Calculate a standard score
• Find the margin of error
• Recognize the impact of polls
• Establish criteria for a good survey
• Make informed decisions about experiments

This down-to-earth reference is chock-full of real examples from real sources that are relevant to your everyday life: from the latest medical breakthroughs, crime studies, and population trends to surveys on Internet dating, cell phone use, and the worst cars of the millennium. Statistics For Dummies departs from traditional statistics texts, references, supplement books, and study guides in the following ways:

• Practical and intuitive explanations of statistical concepts, ideas, techniques, formulas, and calculations.
• Clear and concise step-by-step procedures that intuitively explain how to work through statistics problems.
• Upfront and honest answers to your questions like, “What does this really mean?” and “When and how I will ever use this?”

Chances are, Statistics For Dummies will be your No. 1 resource for discovering how numerical data figures into your corner of the universe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2988 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
"…it would certainly help many students, particularly those on service courses, to grasp the concepts and see the wider picture." (MSOR Newsletter, September 2007)

Book Info
Guide to understanding statistics, written in plain English. Offers explanations of statistical ideas, techniques, formulas, and calculations; with examples that show how these concepts apply to your everyday life. Softcover.

From the Back Cover
Work through real-world problems

From mean to median to probability - understand the terms and crunch the numbers with ease

Stymied by statistics? No fear - this friendly guide offers clear, practical explanations of statistical ideas, techniques, formulas, and calculations, with lots of examples that show how these concepts apply to your everyday life. You'll see how to take the margin of error out of opinion polls and how to analyze and interpret data for improved classroom or on-the-job performance.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Interpret and critique graphs and charts
• Determine the odds with probability
• Guesstimate with confidence using confidence intervals
• Set up and carry out a hypothesis test
• Compute statistical formulas

Customer Reviews

Statistic for Dummies
Not very helpful for my beginning Stats (221) class I did not use it

Very upset I paid for this book!
I've used "Chemistry for Dummies" and it was a lifesaver. With such faith in this company's production of books, I bought this.

It's terrible. A ridiculous amount of it is wasted on, "Why Statistics is Important" and "Why Statistics is Relevant in the Real World"-- at the expense of actually SHOWING YOU HOW TO DO STATISTICS.

The probability section was so brief it didn't even cover the content of my second week in a community college statistics course. The explanations are poorly worded and far too brief, the demonstrations nearly non-existent. It seems Ms. Rumsey chose to save the majority for a supplemental workbook to double her profit.

[...]

Fortunately, there are alternatives, and I'm going to look into those from now on. If such a substandard product is on the market, clearly this company's more concerned now with how to exploit the consumer than to actually explain concepts in laymen's terms.

I wish I had my money back.

No help with Statistics college course.
I'm usually a big fan of Dummies books. Chemistry for Dummies gave me a little edge when taking Chem 101 and 102. It helped a lot.
I'm taking college statistics now and this book has been no help at all. Most of the time, whatever it is I'm working on isn't even in the index. Some other reviewers have mentioned this book lacking a lot of essential components, and this does seem to be the case. I got The Complete Idiot's guide at the same time and that's only a hair more helpful than this, but both are pretty bad.

I've already taken my mid-term (got an A by the way) but this book has not helped me a single bit. No exaggeration. I always have it handy, JUST IN CASE my current subject is covered. And even if I do find what I'm looking for, it's not explained any clearer than my class text. Most times it's more cryptic and confusing. I've found I do better NOT looking at this.

Not recommended at all.