Modern Elementary Statistics

This edition of Modern Elementary Statistics, like all the preceding editions, is keynoted by the statement that "In general, statistical methods are nothing but a refinement of everyday thinking." These words paraphrase the statement made by the prominent scientist Albert Einstein that "the whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking." Many changes to the introductory statistics course have been advocated in recent years, consisting of more emphasis on data analysis utilizing real data and decreasing the level of mathematical rigor, particularly in the area of probability. Our views have remained basically unchanged and we present this new edition with the belief that this is an appropriate introduction to statistics that should be taught as a vital part of one's general education. It is difficult to deny the importance of emphasizing the analysis of real data, but it is more important to recommend that it be interesting real data. A classical example of the former, often used in the past, consists of the number of deaths resulting from the kick of a horse per year per army corps of the Prussian army! Such data fit the conditions for so-called Poisson data (see Section 8.5). EXERCISES Many of the more than 1200 exercises are new or updated from previous editions. Of course, the reader is not expected to work each one, but there is an adequate variety to provide exercise material for just about everyone, regardless of his or her primary area of interest. Among the new exercises in this edition, there are essentially two kinds. First, there is the conceptual kind that makes one think rather than devote one's time to tedious arithmetic. Such exercises are easy to spot because they are marked with an icon, based on Rodin's famous statue "The Thinker." The second kind serves to check whether a set of data satisfies the conditions required by a particular statistical procedure. COMPUTER PRINTOUTS The purpose of the computer printouts and the graphing calculator reproductions is to make the reader aware of some of the most popular and some of the most up-to-date technologies that are available for work in statistics. All the computer printouts from the tenth edition are replaced by new ones generated by MINITAB. The reproductions from the display screen of a TI-83 graphing calculator were first transferred to a computer with the use of a TI-GRAPH LINK and then printed with the use of the computer. With one exception, neither computers nor graphing calculators are required for the use of our book. Indeed, the book can be used effectively by readers who do not possess or have easy access to computers and statistical software or to a graphing calculator. The one exception is Section 9.3, the check for normality. Some of the exercises are labeled with a special icon for the use of a computer and/or the icon for the use of a graphing calculator, but this is optional.Freund, John E. is the author of 'Modern Elementary Statistics', published 0007 under ISBN 9780130467171 and ISBN 0130467170.