RE: Slightly off topic, but apropos

["Neil, David M" <neildm@id.doe.gov>]

I'll second the recommendation; I read that one in high school and it changed my outlook on a lot of things.  (That and a translation of Machiavelli's "The Prince" ... )



I still recall the example where the author used the identical dataset to prove diametrically opposite conclusions.



Dave Neil



-----Original Message-----

From: Steven Dapra [mailto:sjd@swcp.com]

Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2004 3:20 PM

To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: Re: Slightly off topic, but apropos





March 24



	This initial posting had a link to an article about statistics and how

they can be manipulated.



	During my brief college career I took an entry level course in statistics

and one of the required books was "How to Lie With Statistics," by Darrell

Huff (W. W. Norton, 1954; 142 pp.).  It is listed on Amazon.com, so

apparently it is still available for purchase.  (This is not an

advertisement, and I am not getting any commissions from anyone.)



	"How to Lie" is dated, but it is clearly written at the layman's level,

and is entertaining as well.  I would recommend it to anyone who wants to

learn to recognize the main techniques that are used to manipulate

statistics and to bamboozle the unwary or those who are un-informed about

the use of statistics.



Steven Dapra

sjd@swcp.com







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