Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data

Charles Wheelan

Jan 2013 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

A New York Times bestseller

"Brilliant, funny…the best math teacher you never had." —San Francisco Chronicle

Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called "sexy." From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you’ll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in Naked Statistics, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more.

For those who slept through Stats 101, this book is a lifesaver. Wheelan strips away the arcane and technical details and focuses on the underlying intuition that drives statistical analysis. He clarifies key concepts such as inference, correlation, and regression analysis, reveals how biased or careless parties can manipulate or misrepresent data, and shows us how brilliant and creative researchers are exploiting the valuable data from natural experiments to tackle thorny questions.

And in Wheelan’s trademark style, there’s not a dull page in sight. You’ll encounter clever Schlitz Beer marketers leveraging basic probability, an International Sausage Festival illuminating the tenets of the central limit theorem, and a head-scratching choice from the famous game show Let’s Make a Deal—and you’ll come away with insights each time. With the wit, accessibility, and sheer fun that turned Naked Economics into a bestseller, Wheelan defies the odds yet again by bringing another essential, formerly unglamorous discipline to life.

Ratings and reviews

There were some good explanations, but many of the stories and side comments seemed to be added as filler and slowed the reader without adding to the experience; IMHO.

an entertaining look at the power of data, how it is used and misused. I enjoyed reading this and have to say, money well spent. As a student of business, statistics are a battle to learn - but, I will be more open minded when class begins. Thank you, sir- great read!

Great intro or refresher for those interested in statistics, without the headache of math. Helps to cement the intuitive sense of what statistics are all about in a very engaging style.

About the author

Charles Wheelan is the author of the best-selling Naked Statistics and Naked Economics and is a former correspondent for the Economist. He teaches public policy at Dartmouth College and lives in Hanover, New Hampshire, with his family.