STATISTICS FROM A TO Z<br />-- CONFUSING CONCEPTS CLARIFIED
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Statistics Tip of the Week: Always plot the data first; statistics alone can be misleading.

3/21/2018

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​It has been said that the first three laws of statistics are:
  1. Plot the data.
  2. Plot the data.
  3. Plot the data.
(Some say, 1. Draw a picture, 2 Draw a picture. 3 Draw a picture.)

Statistics alone can be misleading.

The human mind did not evolve to understand concepts by reading words and numbers on a page. It is much more visual. Pictures can help give us an intuitive understanding that words and numbers cannot.
​
Here's an example. We're trying to determine if there is Correlation between the x and y values for either of the two Samples of data pictured below. 
Picture
​We calculate a Statistic for each Sample, r, the Correlation Coefficient. The value of r for these two plots are almost identical – and in both cases, it indicates a very strong Linear Correlation.
​
That makes sense for the one on the left. However, the one on the right is not linear at all. That data would more likely to be approximated by a polynomial curve. 
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    Andrew A. (Andy) Jawlik is the author of the book, Statistics from A to Z -- Confusing Concepts Clarified, published by Wiley.

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  • Home
    • Why This Book Is Needed
    • Articles List, Additional Concepts
    • Examples: 1-Page Summaries
    • Examples: Concept Flow Diagram
    • Examples: Compare and Contrast Tables
    • Examples: Cartoons
    • Example: Which to Use When Article
  • Buy
  • Blog
  • Sample Articles
  • Videos
  • Author
  • Communicate
  • Files
  • Errata