Reading Between the Numbers: Statistical Thinking in Everyday Life
A lively and informal introduction to statistics in everyday lifeFrom physics to football, marketing to meteorology, virtually every aspect of modern life involves numbers. But, as statistician/psychologist Joseph Tal writes in this offbeat excursion through the world of statistics, "The numbers must be made to talk, to tell us their story." And that, of course, is where statistics comes in: it is the art and science of getting numbers to reveal present realities and future possibilities.In Reading Between the Numbers, Joseph Tal brings statistics down to earth for the general reader. Focusing on the psychology behind statistics, he shows how it applies in our everyday lives. He demonstrates how even mundane decisions, such as what to make for dinner or whether to take an umbrella, involve basic statistical reasoning. Tal uses dozens of fascinating examples from the social and natural sciences, sports, business and a whole host of other disciplines. With them he familiarizes you with means, medians and modes, and with sampling, estimating, hypothesis testing and many tools-of-the-trade. And throughout he enlivens the narrative with whimsical and revealing quotes from literary masters ranging from Stendahl to Wilde to Chandler.Reading Between the Numbers is a fun, fascinating read for anyone interested in numbers. It is an ideal quick-study guide for anyone  needing to know  statistics for their job or school or life.