Statistics – Page 277 – William M. Briggs

Tolkien Wants A King, Cheating With Statistics

Cheating With Statistics Reader Matt Lewis points us to Planet Moron, to an article which tears apart a statistical argument used by the Washington Post, an argument which sought to…

Culture Statistics

Peer Review Fails? Sympathetic Priest? What’s Going On Here?

Duke Scores Another Own Goal According to Science, Duke University oncologist Anil Potti quit after being caught cheating: Anil Potti had published papers in prominent journals identifying gene signatures in…

Culture Statistics

The Government Loves You And Wants You To Stop Smoking

As an example to others, and not that I care for moderation myself, it has always been my rule never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain from smoking…

Culture Statistics

College Students More Loquacious Than Erudite: Vocabulary Test Results

The results of the Great Vocabulary Test of 2010 are in. Two weeks ago, in this thread, after announcing my surprise that no student in any of my classes knew…

Statistics

TSA Cops A Feel: More Bad Statistics

As far as I can discover, Janet "There's Nothing To See Here" Napolitano's newly created policy of feeling up and peeking under the skirts of random airline passengers has not…

Culture Statistics

Texting Leads To Sexting…Leads To Bad Television

Researchers Find What they find is a way to publish yet another study documenting what everybody already knew. According to this article, sent in by reader Jack Mosevich, researchers have…

Statistics

Mandatory National Standards For Salt Content Coming To A Government Near You

What's better: (A) voluntarily reducing your salt intake, or (B) having the government mandate that you do so? Naturally, if you don't opt for A, you get B, which we…

Culture Philosophy Statistics

Eliminating Randomness Reduces Need For God And Increases Belief In Evolution

Caution! The experiment I'm about to explain might increase your belief in God. It should only be attempted by academics who are immune to such deleterious effects. Got a pair…

Uncle Mike on Why Study Probability?November 14, 2025
The answer is a question: what did you expect the counts to be? On what premises did you base your…
JH on Why Study Probability?November 14, 2025
Then some decision rule that says “This much departure from uniformity means loading.” Which rule may be different for you…
Williis Eschenbach on Why Study Probability?November 13, 2025
Thanks, Matt, but you haven't answered my question, either then or now. The last time I asked, I got this…
Uncle Mike on Why Study Probability?November 13, 2025
Or, Willis, you could take the course, study the classes, do the homework. Then, quite possibly, or even probably, you…
Briggs on Why Study Probability?November 13, 2025
Willis, I have answered the question each and every time. Go back and look at when you asked, and you'll…