Statistics: A Very Short Introduction

Modern statistics is very different from the dry and dusty discipline of the popular imagination. In its place is an exciting subject which uses deep theory and powerful software tools to shed light and enable understanding. And it sheds this light on all aspects of our lives, enabling astronomers to explore the origins of the universe, archaeologists to investigate ancient civilisations, governments to understand how to benefit and improve society, and businesses to learn how best to provide goods and services.

Aimed at readers with no prior mathematical knowledge, this Very Short Introduction explores and explains how statistics work, and how we can decipher them.

• Reveals the power of statistics as an essential tool for understanding modern life

• Shows how rapid advances in computers and number-crunching software has revolutionised the discipline

• Looks at many real-world examples, from the Challenger space-shuttle disaster, to the spread of modern epidemics, governmental elections, and business and finance

• Accessibly written: explaining fascinating concepts while assuming no prior mathematical knowledge