Meaning from Data: Statistics Made Clear

Who was the greatest baseball hitter of all time? What is a guilt-free way to get someone to admit to cheating? Which hospital has the best outcome for a given procedure? When is it a good idea to buy a product's extended warranty? How does a tax assessor calculate the market value of a house? These questions all involve the interpretation of statistics. This course is your introduction to a vitally important subject in today's data-driven society. In 24 half-hour lessons, you will explore the principles and methods that underlie the study of statistics. You will sharpen your understanding of basic statistical vocabulary and learn how to extract meaning from data, all while using no more than basic algebra. Statistical information is truly everywhere. You can't look at a newspaper without seeing statistics on virtually every page. You can't talk about the weather forecast without invoking statistics. Statistics obviously arises in business and social science, and even enters the arts in endeavors such as analyzing manuscripts. And you'd better not go to a casino without understanding statistics! When you gain an understanding of how statistics works, you can make it work for you in a variety of life-changing ways.