How to lie With Statistics

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Call Number: 519.5 Hu
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

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Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	519.5 Hu	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- The Sample with the built-in bias -- The Well-chosen average -- The Little figures that are not there -- Much ado about practically nothing -- The Gee-whiz graph -- The One-dimensional picture -- The Semiattached figure -- Post hoc rides again -- How to statisticulate -- How to talk back to a statistic.
Darrell Huff runs the gamut of every popularly used type of statistic, probes such things as the sample study, the tabulation method, the interview technique, or the way the results are derived from the figures, and points up the countless number of dodges which are used to fool rather than inform.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Eye opening book submitted by Ilyjtwya on June 28, 2011, 9:28am Despite the age of this book, it is very informative. The only negative impact the age has is distorting the relevance of numbers in examples, such as annual income. This book explains many different ways statistics may be used to deceive the audience. For instance, different meanings of the word average (mean, median, or average). Depending on the matter at hand the average may not even be the most relevant figure. I also found the discussion about selective, or just plain biased, samples (the kind that provide quotes about what 9 out of 10 dentists think), and how visual representations of data can give viewers an incorrect perception. I strongly recommend this book for any one who uses figures to help make their decisions, or who thinks there may be a little more to the numbers that are thrown around in the news and advertising.