There’s a wonderful little book called How to Lie With Statistics. I first read it more than fifty years ago and I think it’s just as fresh now as it was when it first came out in 1954. I think it should be required reading for high school kids. Better than a lot of what they’re reading.
They are too busy with assigned readings like The Role of Sitcoms in Stereotyping of Eskimo Transgenders: Self Esteem Development Issues from a Latino Point of View.
Great book. Agree that everyone should read it, but then everyone should also take a stats course or two. (Just checked and it is $7 on Kindle. A bit surprised. Though tit might be one of those free classics by now.
Drew- I thought that PE stuff paid well. Should have gotten the kid in a better school. Ours was working with 3d copiers, doing robotics and too busy with computer club.
Steve
I think I’ve told this story before but when I was in grad school I used to tutor social sciences grad students in statistics. Not enough to make them experts. Just enough for them to have some understanding of what SPSS was giving them.
I was appalled at how mathematically illiterate they were. These are the guys who are department heads now.
Not sure where I read this depressing fact, but fully 50% of US adults have below-average knowledge of statistics. What a national embarrassment.
As long as you have those high school counselors and college admission types looking for calculus instead of statistics you will have, IMHO, this misallocation of time and effort.
Hmm. I think statistics is actuators accessible for the non math geeks. If I am looking for math or hard science majors I still want to see calculus. For the social science major I think you are correct that calculus is really just kind of useless signalling.
Steve