Page 19 - Statistics for Dummies

Introduction
Technical Stuff icon as well as text in sidebars (the shaded gray boxes that
appear throughout the book). These items feature information that’s interest-
ing but not crucial to your basic knowledge of statistics.
Foolish Assumptions
I don’t assume that you’ve had any previous experience with statistics, other
than the fact that you’re a member of the general public who gets bombarded
every day with statistics in the form of numbers, percents, charts, graphs,
“statistically significant” results, “scientific” studies, polls, surveys, experi-
ments, and so on.
What I do assume is that you can do some of the basic mathematical opera-
tions and understand some of the basic notation used in algebra, such as
the variables x and y, summation signs, taking the square root, squaring a
number, and so on. If you need to brush up on your algebra skills, check out 3
Algebra I For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Mary Jane Sterling (Wiley).
I don’t want to mislead you: You do encounter formulas in this book, because
statistics does involve a bit of number crunching. But don’t let that worry you. I
take you slowly and carefully through each step of any calculations you need to
do. I also provide examples for you to work along with this book, so that you can
become familiar and comfortable with the calculations and make them your own.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is organized into five parts that explore the major areas of intro-
ductory statistics, along with a final part that offers some quick top-ten
nuggets for your information and enjoyment. Each part contains chapters
that break down each major area of statistics into understandable pieces.
Part I: Vital Statistics about Statistics

This part helps you become aware of the quantity and quality of statistics
you encounter in your workplace and your everyday life. You find out that a
great deal of that statistical information is incorrect, either by accident or by
design. You take a first step toward becoming statistically savvy by recogniz-
ing some of the tools of the trade, developing an overview of statistics as a
process for getting and interpreting information, and getting up to speed on
some statistical jargon.

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