It has been said that statistics can be used to prove anything-- and sometimes to prove both sides of the same argument. It all depends on how you interpret and apply information. Runyon looks at the ways that statistics can be made to mislead you in polls, test scores, advertising, government statistics, and medical statistics. Then he arms you against those who use numbers as a weapon.

If you want to outsmart a crook, learn his tricks—Darrell Huff explains exactly how in the classic How to Lie with Statistics. From distorted graphs and biased samples to misleading averages, there are countless statistical dodges that lend cover to anyone with an ax to grind or a product to sell. With abundant examples and illustrations, Darrell Huff’s lively and engaging primer clarifies the basic principles of statistics and explains how they’re used to present information in honest and not-so-honest ways. Now even more indispensable in our data-driven world than it was when first published, How to Lie with Statistics is the book that generations of readers have relied on to keep from being fooled.

"Vaclav Smil is my favorite author… Numbers Don't Lie takes everything that makes his writing great and boils it down into an easy-to-read format. I unabashedly recommend this book to anyone who loves learning."--Bill Gates, GatesNotes From the author of How the World Really Works, an essential guide to understanding how numbers reveal the true state of our world--exploring a wide range of topics including energy, the environment, technology, transportation, and food production. Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment--your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy? From data about our societies and populations, through measures of the fuels and foods that energize them, to the impact of transportation and inventions of our modern world--and how all of this affects the planet itself--in Numbers Don't Lie, Vaclav Smil takes us on a fact-finding adventure, using surprising statistics and illuminating graphs to challenge conventional thinking. Packed with fascinating information and memorable examples, Numbers Don't Lie reveals how the US is leading a rising worldwide trend in chicken consumption, that vaccination yields the best return on investment, and why electric cars aren't as great as we think (yet). Urgent and essential, with a mix of science, history, and wit--all in bite-sized chapters on a broad range of topics--Numbers Don't Lie inspires readers to interrogate what they take to be true.

**How to Lie with Numbers, Stats & Graphs: Unveiling Deceptions in Data** Welcome to "How to Lie with Numbers, Stats & Graphs," where two of our best-selling titles, Truth, Lies & Statistics and Graphs Don't Lie, come together for an enlightening journey into the world of statistical deception. **Why You Need This Book:** - **Unmask Deceptions:** Award-winning statistician Lee Baker exposes the tricks used by politicians, corporations, and others to deceive with data. - **Clear Insights:** Learn to spot misleading statistics and graphs, empowering you to make informed decisions. - **Practical Examples:** Explore real-world scenarios where data manipulation shaped public opinion and policy. - **Empower Yourself:** Gain confidence in interpreting data accurately and critically. - **Engaging and Entertaining:** Enjoy witty anecdotes and sardonic insights that make complex concepts easy to grasp. - **Visual Learning:** Packed with visually intuitive examples that demystify statistical jargon. In "How to Lie with Numbers, Stats & Graphs," you'll delve into the fascinating realm of statistical misrepresentation. From the infamous correlation-causation fallacy to misleading graphical presentations, Lee Baker breaks down complex concepts with clarity and humor. **Blurb: Truth, Lies & Statistics** From pirates causing global warming to bizarre correlations involving cats and Mexican lemons, discover how statistics shape our perceptions and realities. Lee Baker unravels the misuse of data that fuels myths and misinformation in an engaging narrative that keeps you turning pages. **Blurb: Graphs Don't Lie** Explore scandals behind graphs, pie charts, and statistical manipulations that sway public opinion. With Lee Baker's sharp analysis, uncover how numbers can mislead and deceive, revealing the true power behind visual data representations. Written as your guide to deciphering truth from statistical fiction, "How to Lie with Numbers, Stats & Graphs" ensures there's never a dull moment in understanding data integrity. Whether you're a researcher, student, or simply curious about the deceptive world of statistics, this book equips you with the tools to navigate and scrutinize data effectively. Transform your understanding of data integrity today. Grab your copy and embark on a journey into the intriguing world of statistical deception!

Sophie Henderson, manager of a software-development team, starts what appears to be a routine project at work. She ends up hiding from her staff, her friends, and the person who is trying to stop her from delving further into discrepancies in the accounting system. Trevan Prater (AKA Trevor Adams) has been assigned to delve into an embezzlement scheme at a large government contractor. As an FBI investigator, he’s used to working such cases. A chance encounter lands him front and center with Sophie, one of the lead suspects. Now he’s not only investigating her, but also pretending to be the consultant from whom she needs help. The more his team digs into the data she gives him, the guiltier she appears. Unfortunately, the longer he’s with her, the more attracted he becomes. Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors

A typical NBA game can yield approximately 2,800 statistical events in thirty-two different categories. In Numbers Don’t Lie Yago Colás started with a simple question: How did basketball analytics get from counting one stat, the final score, to counting thousands? He discovered that what we call “basketball”—rules, equipment, fundamental skills, techniques, tactics, strategies—has changed dramatically since its invention and today encompasses many different forms of play, from backyards and rec leagues to the NBA Finals. Numbers Don’t Lie explores the power of data to tell stories about ourselves and the world around us. As advanced statistical methods and big-data technologies transform sports, we now have the power to count more things in greater detail than ever before. These numbers tell us about the past, present, and future that shape how basketball is played on the floor, decisions are made in front offices, and the sport is marketed and consumed. But what is the relationship between counting and what counts, between quantification and value? In Numbers Don’t Lie Colás offers a three-part history of counting in basketball. First, he recounts how big-data basketball emerged in the past twenty years, examines its current practices, and analyzes how it presents itself to the public. Colás then situates big data within the deeper social, cultural, and conceptual history of counting in basketball and beyond and proposes alternative frameworks of value with which we may take fuller stock of the impact of statistics on the sport. Ultimately, Colás challenges the putative objectivity of both quantification and academic writing by interweaving through this history a series of personal vignettes of life at the intersection of basketball, counting, and what counts.

Winner of the National Business Book Award From the New York Times bestselling author of The Organized Mind and This Is Your Brain on Music, a primer to the critical thinking that is more necessary now than ever We are bombarded with more information each day than our brains can process—especially in election season. It's raining bad data, half-truths, and even outright lies. New York Times bestselling author Daniel J. Levitin shows how to recognize misleading announcements, statistics, graphs, and written reports, revealing the ways lying weasels can use them. It's becoming harder to separate the wheat from the digital chaff. How do we distinguish misinformation, pseudo-facts, and distortions from reliable information? Levitin groups his field guide into two categories—statistical information and faulty arguments—ultimately showing how science is the bedrock of critical thinking. Infoliteracy means understanding that there are hierarchies of source quality and bias that variously distort our information feeds via every media channel, including social media. We may expect newspapers, bloggers, the government, and Wikipedia to be factually and logically correct, but they so often aren't. We need to think critically about the words and numbers we encounter if we want to be successful at work, at play, and in making the most of our lives. This means checking the plausibility and reasoning—not passively accepting information, repeating it, and making decisions based on it. Readers learn to avoid the extremes of passive gullibility and cynical rejection. Levitin's charming, entertaining, accessible guide can help anyone wake up to a whole lot of things that aren't so. And catch some weasels in their tracks!

A revolutionary new way of looking at numbers in cricket, Impact Index is an attempt to challenge conventional readings, but also to enrich it. Impact Index is a revolutionary new way of examining numbers in cricket. It is a deep dive into the very mechanics of the game, which results in the unearthing of truly surprising - sometimes shocking - stories. Within these pages are tales of cricketers who did not get their due, there are analyses of various aspects of the game and an examination of all formats of cricket. Impact Index is an attempt to challenge and enrich conventional readings, and ultimately to redefine it.

Here, by popular demand, is the updated edition to Joel Best's classic guide to understanding how numbers can confuse us. In his new afterword, Best uses examples from recent policy debates to reflect on the challenges to improving statistical literacy. Since its publication ten years ago, Damned Lies and Statistics has emerged as the go-to handbook for spotting bad statistics and learning to think critically about these influential numbers.

Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction as the short stories "The Edge of the Universe," "Get Me to the Church on Time," and "The Hole in the Hole," this inventive and quirky novel combines the stories, featuring the inspired adventures of Wilson Wu, a jack-of-all-trades who uses his eclectic background to solve a variety of wacky futuristic dilemmas. An Ivy League graduate, Wu is a rock musician, a Volvo mechanic, a trial lawyer, a camel driver, an aeronautics engineer, an entomological meteorologist, and, most importantly, a math wizard with a formula for every occasion. A godsend for his friends and the universe, Wu uses his eclectic skill set to prevent the imminent collapse of the universe, guarantee good weather for an Alabama wedding, and tow an abandoned lunar rover from the surface of the moon to a junkyard in Brooklyn. Irreverent and inventive, these adventures exemplify Bisson's smart, hilarious, and satirical style that has earned him Hugo and Nebula awards and comparisons to Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut.