Real Life Statistics: The Statistician Strikes Back

Mathematics and Computer Education, Fall 2002 by Ashbacher, Charles

A video produced by Films For the Humanities and Sciences P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2053 http://www.films.com/. Item: BVL6374. List Price: $149.95 Rental Price: $75.00. Approximately 25 minutes running time

This tape is a basic look at how statisticians work. The initial premise is the conversation between a patron and a barmaid in an English pub. During the conversation, the two make statements regarding basic economic and social trends that have occurred over the last few years. Both seem very certain regarding their opinions, and a statistician overhears them and then asks the basic question, "How can we go about verifying or refuting their claims?"

From this, we are led through the data collection process, where the statistician obtains the official government data and then plots it over time to examine the trends. Simple histograms, bar charts, and boxplots are used. From these, we can see the data and make conclusions about whether the stated opinions are correct.

This tape is the first in a series and a good introduction to some of the basic, effective uses of statistics. The setup is a good one. We have all encountered opinionated individuals who are absolutely sure of their statements. Verifying such claims is often essential, and all citizens need to understand how to read such charts and make appropriate decisions for themselves. Therefore, this video can be used as introductory material in any basic course on statistics or data analysis.

I firmly believe that no citizen of a modern society can operate effectively without understanding the basic concepts of statistics. We are constantly bombarded with messages that need to be filtered through a statistical disbelief filter, and this tape is a first step in the development of such a device.

Reviewed by Charles Ashbacher

http://www.ashbacher.com