Statistics – Page 183 – William M. Briggs

Evolution Under Fixed Constraints; Or, Why Random Changes Don’t Cut It

See if this analogy makes sense. A ramp onto which you loose a ball, which can roll down and fall into one of three slots. The configuration is such that…

Culture Philosophy Statistics

Do You Believe In Global Warming Because Of The Seriousness Of The Charges?

An activist tells you, "Based on my theory of rampant, out-of-control global warming, otters, driven mad by the heat, will take to the streets and destroy mankind, just like apes…

Statistics

Class Report: How Not To Teach Statistics

It's over. Two solid weeks of 9 to 5 to 9 and beyond statistics. Plus a few cocktails and cookouts and camaraderie. I'm exhausted. The students are mostly later early…

Culture Statistics

Casual Sex Is Good for You, Says New Biased Study

In a ridiculously biased "study", a researcher has shown that some college students who self-select to participate in a study of "causal" sex and who say they like having "casual"…

Philosophy Statistics

Probabilities Aren’t Decisions

The title says it all. But its presence implies, and it is true, that people often mistake the two. If you decide to bet fifty bucks the USA beats Germany,…

Philosophy Statistics

The Biggest Error In Regression

I know, I know: we're sick to death of regression, but we have to cover the biggest error, which is how the Deadly Sin of Reification happens. You have a…

Philosophy Statistics

Free Will The Result Of ‘Background Noise’?

Once again the lack of metaphysical training has led some scientists to say an incredibly silly thing. That free will "could be the result of 'background noise' in the brain."…

Philosophy Statistics

The Applicability Of Experiments

Every probability problem has the form Pr(Q|E), where Q is the proposition of interest and E the evidence, premises, or "data" probative (or not) of E. Change the evidence, change…

Johnno on Does Watching TV Cause Autism?July 23, 2025
Did watching TV pharma ads lead to an increase in vexxination rates at the same time as all the autism?
Does Watching TV Cause Autism? – William M. Briggs on Does watching TV cause autism?July 23, 2025
[…] classic column originally ran 31 July 2008. I edited it to provide a working link to the paper and…
“??? ???? ???, ????? ?? ? ?”…?? ?? – ?????? on Two Statistical Curiosities That Allowed Biden To Pull Ahead In PA: ONE CURIOSITY SOLVED: BAD DATA ENTRYJuly 23, 2025
[…] ?? 4? ?? 9?? ??? 3??? ??? ? ? 1??? ????(??? ??). ??? ????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ????,…
Johnno on Peer-Reviewed Research: Men Find Looking At Nearly Naked Women DistractingJuly 22, 2025
Why couldn't I have been involved as a participant in this study? I would enjoy the opportunity to be paid…
David Willis on Peer-reviewed research: Men find looking at nearly naked women distractingJuly 22, 2025
hahahahahahhahahahahah This shit is too much.