Product Description

Take the first step toward a whole new world of statistical prowess with this delightful, easy-to-follow guide.

Writing specifically for the statistically scared, Jeff Weaver exposes the mathematics behind statistical analysis and shows how an understanding of probability, standard deviation, margins of error, and test groups can help in the reader's understanding of everything from the lottery to national polls to scientific data. With vivid and humorous examples, Conquering Statistics opens the world of statistics to the average reader as well as the student and offers an invaluable look at the science behind the statistics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1338341 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

Amazon.com Review
For many of us, mathematics is like dental care--undeniably important, extraordinarily painful, and best ignored as long as possible. Jefferson Hane Weaver, an author who specializes in demystifying complicated scientific concepts, disagrees with this public perception and has set out to debunk it in Conquering Statistics: Numbers Without the Crunch. Although it may not seem possible, the result is a consistently entertaining and extremely helpful guide to numbers and their practical everyday applications.

About the Author
Jefferson Hane Weaver co-authored (with Lloyd Motz) the highly popular book Conquering Mathematics. He received his M.A., his M.Phil., and his Ph.D. at the Columbia Graduate School of the Arts and Sciences. He lives in Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Shelley, and his four children.

Customer Reviews

Tries too hard to be funny
I give the book two stars only because, if you can get through it, it does a reasonable job of providing basic definitions of statistical terms. I was looking for a review of the subject and it does accomplish that.

I cannot recommend the book at all, however, for anyone trying to learn statistics, even at an elementary level. The author tries way too hard to be funny, presumably to make the subject less intimidating to the mathematically-challenged. Unfortunately, the humorous examples do nothing to enhance understanding, but instead just get in the way. The worst fault is that the stories go on for so long that the reader gets impatient to find anything of value relating to the subject matter.

Finally, I found the book to be condescending towards the reader by failing to include any formulas or diagrams. Again, this is presumably to avoid being indimidating to the general reader, but it ends up making things more confusing with long narrative descriptions of what should be fairly easy topics.

Fun
I agree entirely with the point made by the other reviewer - actually Weaver's "What Are the Odds?" is far worse. There are ten pages of jokes for every page of useful data.

I read this book not for enlightenment but for entertainment. It's a fun way to waste time.

Too Funny for the Statistical Neophyte
I think the author spent the better part of his effort trying to channel Dave Barry into his writing. The effort failed and thus failed in the grander goal of educating the reader on the topic of statitics via the use of humor. Streamlining the jokes would reduce the book to a fraction of its size and maybe deliver some of the lessons from their imprisonment in a joke world. Ironically, additonal graphs and tables would have helped the reader in following the argument. If you are interested in a beginners guide to statistics, a more traditional text is preferable.