Friday, June 14, 2024

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics by Tim Harford: A review


The US edition was published in 2021 -- so I am a little late to the game. But this is a great read. It does not delve deeply into math, but could be a companion to discussion on web evaluation ("fake news") as well as basic math literacy.

Here are the ten easy rules ... but I strongly recommend reading the book:

  1. Search your feelings
  2. Ponder your personal experience
  3. Avoid premature enumeration
  4. Step back and enjoy the view
  5. Get the backstory
  6. Ask who is missing
  7. Demand transparency when the computer says no
  8. Don't take statistical bedrock for granted
  9. Remember that misinformation can be beautiful, too
  10. Keep an open mind

And ... the golden rule: Be curious

And while he has a web site [https://timharford.com/] in my initial wandering around, it does not say much about this work on statistics [although you can readily purchase the book on his site] ... he has moved on to other topics.


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