Watchwords to Look Out for When People Are Trying to Get You Interested in Statistics

Since we're going to start doing book reviews soon, I thought I'd give you a few give you a few things to look out for, if you decide to browse on your own in a library or bookstore instead of, or in addition, to reading the books that we feature or recommend. Plus, after reading this list, you might just spontaneously burst out laughing when your high school teacher, TA or Prof. decides to make "statistics interesting" by using some of these canned items. And you thought recycling was only for bottles.

1. Risk (Examples that go along with this often involve stories about money or references to investments)

2. Chance (Alot of Science Stuff and stuff designed to appeal to the "Discovery Channel Watcher" in all of us, uses this word).

*Note of the use of the phrase "Discovery Channel Watcher": I realized "Reading Rainbow" watcher made me sound dated, ...sorry Levar.

3. Numbers in combination with the words or variations of the words: "Deception" "Lies" "See Through" or "Fool". Basically, these books are designed to teach regular people how to understand statistics without making stupid mistakes, especially when (as is often totally unnecessary, since most people already have such poor statistical intuition anyway), someone is trying to manipulate the way in which the statistical data is presented.

4. Examples or stories involving: Coins (Usually Being Flipped), Cards, or "if, then, well then what are the chances of both or none or some" type of examples (Look in any statistics textbook and you'll immediately see what I am talking about, if you don't already).