Statistics Hacks

Chapter 6. Thinking Smart

Hacks 61-75

This chapter concentrates on hacks that help you to think more clearly, cleverly, or creatively. Start out by using the rules of probability and proving yourself smarter than a superhero [Hack #61]. Keep feeling smart by mastering statistical shortcuts [Hack #66] and the ability to detect fraud [Hack #64].

Continue impressing yourself and others by tapping into your skeptical side: demystify amazing coincidences [Hack #62] and hack your way to the truth about weird phenomena [Hack #63]. After disproving (or perhaps proving) the existence of ESP [Hack #68], your friends will be amazed when you read their minds [Hack #67].

Finally, wrap up your self-improvement course by learning to avoid a common illogical trap [Hack #69].

Now that you are so smart, it should be a breeze to notice things around you that others do not. You can master the fine art of the traffic jam [Hack #74], explore your connections to Kevin Bacon and everybody else [Hack #72], and spot bogus election systems [Hack #73] known only to political scientists.

Round out this chapter by expanding your horizons. Try out different exciting professions such as espionage and code breaking [Hack #70], and discover new species [Hack #71] and, perhaps, even life on other planets [Hack #75].

Outsmart Superman

Lightning can strike twice in the same place, but it is very unlikely. The laws of probability allow us to calculate the likelihood of a series of rare occurrences happening all in a row. ...