The Numbers Game The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News,in Politics, and in Life

by Blastland, Michael; Dilnot, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9781592404858
• ISBN10: 1592404855
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-05
• Publisher: Gotham

Summary

The Strunk and White of statistics team up to help the average person navigate the numbers in the news Drawing on their hugely popular BBC Radio 4 show More or Less, journalist Michael Blastland and internationally known economist Andrew Dilnot delight, amuse, and convert American mathphobes by showing how our everyday experiences make sense of numbers. The radical premise of The Numbers Game is to show how much we already know and give practical ways to use our knowledge to become cannier consumers of the media. If you've ever wondered what "average" really means, whether the scare stories about cancer risk should convince you to change your behavior, or whether a story you read in the paper is biased (and how), you need this book. Blastland and Dilnot show how to survive and thrive on the torrent of numbers that pours through everyday life.

Author Biography

Michael Blastland is a writer, broadcaster, and the creator of More or Less, the BBC Radio 4 show.

Andrew Dilnot, the former host on the show, is the principal of St. Hugh's College, Oxford, and was the director of England's Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
Counting: Use Strawberry Jam	p. 1
Size: It's Personal	p. 12
Chance: The Tiger That Isn't	p. 31
Up and Down: A Man and His Dog	p. 41
Averages: The White Rainbow
Performance: The Whole Elephant	p. 78
Risk: Bring Home the Bacon	p. 96
Sampling: Drinking from a Fire Hose	p. 111
Data: Know the Unknowns	p. 132
Shock Figures: Wayward Tee Shots	p. 150
Comparison: Mind the Gap	p. 161
Causation: Think Twice	p. 182
Last Word	p. 193
Acknowledgments	p. 195
Further Reading	p. 199
Index	p. 203
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