Statistics – Page 159 – William M. Briggs

Gonorrhea, Wee P-values, and Tax Increases

Adventurous reader Ted Poppke discovered a peer-reviewed paper that, according to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), proved that increasing sales tax on booze "caused a 24% decrease in gonorrhea cases…

Statistics

On The Severe (And Unrecognized) Limitations Of fMRI

So this 44-year-old Frenchman---let's call him Jacques---presented for a "mild left leg weakness". The leg bone being connected to the hip bone, etc., it was eventually discovered that Jacques's "skull…

Book review Statistics

Uncertainty Reviewed In The New Criterion

"William Briggs, the civilized world's most amusing statistician." Roger Kimball, author of The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia, The Rape of the Masters: How…

Culture Statistics

Reader Query & Assist Request: Health Data In India

Busy Saturday, so a plea from reader Aman Rastogi: Sir, I am a student from Lucknow University, INDIA, pursuing my Masters in Public Health there. Few days back I have…

Philosophy Statistics

Stream: Global Warming Alarmists Plead: Save the Children By Not Having Them

Today's post is at The Stream: Global Warming Alarmists Plead: Save the Children By Not Having Them. Global warming will, of course, doom us all. That is, if the models…

Statistics

Showdown At The National Academy of Sciences Corral

I've been asked by pals to promote this event, which happens today. This is a repost from this site. Steve Milloy, Dr. John Dunn & and Dr. Stan Young versus…

Philosophy Statistics

Falsifiability Is Not That Useful

False is not True We spoke earlier of falsification and why I didn't think it was an especially useful criterion. My tweets about it inspired Deborah Mayo, who advocates for…

Philosophy Statistics

Is Most Published Research Wrong? Yep. Here’s Why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42QuXLucH3Q One of my students---my heart soars like a hawk!---sent me the video linked above. I'll assume you've watched it, as my comments make reference to it. About the dismal…

hudbwu on Impossible LSAT Statistics QuestionFebruary 3, 2026
> But that’s because the setup is itself weird. It contains the implicit premise that more beliefs equals better survival,…
John M on Impossible LSAT Statistics QuestionFebruary 3, 2026
Well, now I know why lawyers are all screwed up.
Cary D Cotterman on Impossible LSAT Statistics QuestionFebruary 3, 2026
I think Mr. Blow hit the nail on the head.
Uncle Mike on Impossible LSAT Statistics QuestionFebruary 3, 2026
Statisticians always get blamed for everything. My friend is a statistician, so it's his own stupid fault.
JH on Impossible LSAT Statistics QuestionFebruary 3, 2026
(A) Both valid and sound arguments are considered correct. The premise for a valid argument may be false. (See https://iep.utm.edu/val-snd/).…