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| View Larger Image | Statistics Hacks: Tips & Tools for Measuring the World and Beating the Odds (Hacks)
by Bruce Frey
| | List Price: | $29.99 | | Price: | $19.79 | | You Save: | $10.20 (34%) |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 239700 | | Studio: | O'Reilly Media, Inc. | | | Binding: | Paperback | | Number Of Pages: | 356 | | Publication Date: | May 09, 2006 | | Publisher: | O'Reilly Media, Inc. |
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Product Description
Want to calculate the probability that an event will happen? Be able to spot fake data? Prove beyond doubt whether one thing causes another? Or learn to be a better gambler? You can do that and much more with 75 practical and fun hacks packed into "Statistics Hacks," These cool tips, tricks, and mind-boggling solutions from the world of statistics, measurement, and research methods will not only amaze and entertain you, but will give you an advantage in several real-world situations-including business. This book is ideal for anyone who likes puzzles, brainteasers, games, gambling, magic tricks, and those who want to apply math and science to everyday circumstances. Several hacks in the first chapter alone-such as the "central limit theorem," which allows you to know everything by knowing just a little-serve as sound approaches for marketing and other business objectives. Using the tools of inferential statistics, you can understand the way probability works, discover relationships, predict events with uncanny accuracy, and even make a little money with a well-placed wager here and there. "Statistics Hacks" presents useful techniques from statistics, educational and psychological measurement, and experimental research to help you solve a variety of problems in business, games, and life. You'll learn how to: Play smart when you play Texas Hold 'Em, blackjack, roulette, dice games, or even the lottery Design your own winnable bar bets to make money and amaze your friends Predict the outcomes of baseball games, know when to "go for two" in football, and anticipate the winners of other sporting events with surprising accuracy Demystify amazing coincidences and distinguish the"truly" random from the only "seemingly" random--even keep your iPod's "random" shuffle honest Spot fraudulent data, detect plagiarism, and break codes How to isolate the effects of observation on the thing observed Whether you're a statistics enthusiast who does calculations in your sleep or a civilian who is entertained by clever solutions to interesting problems, "Statistics Hacks" has tools to give you an edge over the world's slim odds. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 16 reviews)
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Fun and helpful at the same time! 
When I read this book, I laughed and learned - what more could you ask for?
When students struggle with other stats books, I recommend this one and they have all been grateful!
August 15, 2008 | |
An entertaining and useful book
It's not very easy to use the words "entertaining" and "statistics" in the same sentence, but you can if you're talking about this book. Bruce Frey's collection of tips and tools makes the subject interesting, fun-- even funny-- and most importantly, approachable.
It's important to understand that this book is not intended to be a statistics textbook, review, or reference manual. Rather, it is a collection of bite-sized hacks that relate statistical principles to the "real" world. Every hack is illustrated with some example, including many relating to gambling, games, and bar bets. Which properties should you buy in Monopoly? The answer is here, along with an explanation. How many people have to be in a room with you before you can be pretty sure that at least one of them shares your birthday? That's here, too, along with the explanation. Is there a way to predict the winner of a baseball game by listening to about twenty minutes of the middle of it? Yep.
If you're looking for an authoritative, comprehensive, serious statistics text, keep shopping. If you're looking for a light but nonetheless very useful explanation/review of how and why statistics work in a real-world context, buy this book.
I'm glad I bought it, and I'd do it again. I got more than enough entertainment and utility out of it to justify the expense.
November 20, 2007 | |
Have a chuckle while expanding your statistics knowledge
This is one of the funniest books I've read in a while, certainly the funniest non-fiction book I've read in a long while.
And in 20 minutes of reading it over lunch, it explained more to me about basic statistics terminology than I got in the whole semester of statistics I took at Berkeley a couple of decades ago.
I disagree with the reviewer who said the first 100 pages would make your eyes glaze over. For years I've been wondering what people really mean by stuff like "standard deviation" and at last, here is an explanation in plain English. Anyhow, as the author says in the book, you do NOT need to start with the first 100 pages. Just dip in wherever you like -- these are independent hacks.
To be quite honest, I haven't even gotten to the main hacks yet, but I already feel like I got my money's worth. For the math-geek and absurdist humor alone. But just wait till I get through the Texas Hold-Em chapter by next poker night ...
July 13, 2007 | |
Neat concept spoiled by carelessness 
75 four-page sections on topics in statistics and probability, some textbook and some "popular science" and some nicely different. Brisk user-friendly style. Provides a useful view of a big picture of statistics for someone who's taken a dull statistics course in college. But this potentially great book is spoiled by too many misleading statements (almost everything we measure in the natural world [follows] the normal curve (#25); the more instances you can get [in a multiple regression analysis] the more accurate your eventual predictions will be (#55)). Wikipedia entries on the topics will probably be better written and more accurate.
May 28, 2007 | |
Statistics Hacks: Tips & Tools for Measuring the World and Beating the Odds (Hacks)
This is an excellent resource to have. The tips are clear and easy to understand and the author's writing style makes it enjoyable to read. I am currently taking taking courses taught by Bruce Frey. He is an excellent teacher and his book is just as good. I am a PhD student and I love the book!
May 12, 2007 | |
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