Section 1-5

Uses and Misuses of Statistics

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There are three types of lies ----- lies, damn lies and statistics

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Statistics…can’t get any respect?

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Statistics…can’t get any respect?

• Torture numbers, and they'll confess to anything. ~Gregg Easterbrook

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Statistics…can’t get any respect?

• Torture numbers, and they'll confess to anything. ~Gregg Easterbrook

• Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth. ~Author Unknown

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Statistics…can’t get any respect?

• Torture numbers, and they'll confess to anything. ~Gregg Easterbrook

• Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth. ~Author Unknown

• He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts - for support rather than for illumination.  ~Andrew Lang

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Statistics…can’t get any respect?

• Torture numbers, and they'll confess to anything. ~Gregg Easterbrook

• Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth. ~Author Unknown

• He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts - for support rather than for illumination.  ~Andrew Lang

• There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up.  ~Rex Stout, Death of a Doxy

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Death in Iraq

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Death in Iraq

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Claim:

• 80% of all Resumes are Misleading – • Source Xukor, Inc. complied from a

survey of 10,000 applications and resumes combined

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Are Resumes misleading:

MOST FREQUENT AREAS WHERE THEY ARE MISLEADING

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics Suspect Samples

Is the sample large enough?How was the sample selected? Is the sample representative of the

population?

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics Suspect Samples

Is the sample large enough?How was the sample selected? Is the sample representative of the

population? Ambiguous Averages

What particular measure of average was used and why?

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics Changing the Subject

Are different values used to represent the same data?

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics Changing the Subject

Are different values used to represent the same data?

Detached StatisticsOne third fewer calories…….than what?

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics Changing the Subject

Are different values used to represent the same data?

Detached StatisticsOne third fewer calories…….than what?

Implied ConnectionsStudies suggest that some people may

understand what this statement means.

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics Misleading Graphs

Are the scales for the x-axis and y-axis appropriate for the data?

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Bluman Chapter 1

1-5 Uses and Misuses of Statistics Misleading Graphs

Are the scales for the x-axis and y-axis appropriate for the data?

Faulty Survey QuestionsDo you feel that statistics teachers should

be paid higher salaries?Do you favor increasing tuition so that

colleges can pay statistics teachers higher salaries?

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Bluman Chapter 1

Homework

Read Sec 1.5 and know

the important terms.

Do Review Exercises on page

26 #1- 28 all. Due Tuesday Nov 13.

Grace period ends on Thursday Nov 15.

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Extra Credit Opportunity:

If you do any activity to observe Veteran’s Day, let me know and I will give you extra credit.

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