Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
What Do You Really Want: Part II
Class is, thank God, rapidly coming to an end. I am sure we are all grateful. Here's an addendum to yesterday; but only briefly explained. Because of the crush of…
Posted inStatistics
What Do You Really Want? Modern Statistics. Lesson n+2
Only a couple of days left, everybody. Then back to more interesting subjects. Incidentally: when is the best time to contact a statistician? Before you begin to collect data. You…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Lesson n+1: Measurement & Observables
Just a very crude sketch today: it is not complete by any stretch. Naturally, the students in the summer class don't receive this level of information. Best we can tell,…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Lesson Somethingorother: Against the P-value
I've lost count of the lesson numbers. The definition of a p-value, here phrased in the incorrectly named "test of difference in means", is: Given the truth of a probability…
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Lesson Zero: Lecturing, Churchill, and End of the World
Teaching as Performance The class is two weeks of solid statistics. Eight hours a day weeks; save the weekends. I don't know about other instructors, but my technique is to…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Lesson Five or Six: Abnormality
Say! What happened to lessons three through four or five? Who knows. This morning, I'm dreadfully rushed, so just a sketch. I do not expect anybody to be convinced this…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Lesson Two Again and Again: Logic is Not Opinion
Everybody: thanks for the emails. I do see them. I'll be answering all on the weekend. Would it surprise you to learn that to graduate with a degree in statistics---BS,…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Lesson Two Redux: More Mysticism
Is it written into sport announcers' contract that they shall speak in nothing but cliché? Since there is always great confusion about why premises about "fairness" or "randomness" are not…