Chapter 9
Throwing Statistics a Curve
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding key terms used in statistics
Testing for central tendencies in a data sample
Analyzing deviation in a data sample
Looking for similarities in two data samples
Analyzing by bins and percentiles
Counting items in a data sample
Just pick up the newspaper, or turn on the television or the radio. We’re bombarded with interesting facts and figures that are the result of statistical work: There is a 60 percent chance of rain, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.8 percent, the Yankees are favored over the Red Sox 4-3, and so on.
Statistics are used to tell us facts about the world around us. Statistics are also used to tell us lies about our world. Statistics can be used to confuse or obscure information. Imagine that you try a new candy bar, and you like it. Well, then you can boast that 100 percent of the people who ...
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