How to Lie with Statistics
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. - Disraeli. The book " How to Lie with Statistics ", first published in 1954, is an attention grabbing title for what should have really been called "A Guide to Spotting Statistical Trickery" This book exposes common statistical manipulations used to mislead audiences. The author explains in a light-hearted way through its ten chapters how to critically evaluate statistical claims and avoid being deceived by distorted data. In this age of both human & AI driven misinformation, this book is more relevant than ever. Chapter 1: The Sample with the Built-in Bias Trick: Presenting data based on a biased sample that doesn't accurately represent the population it claims to reflect. For example, using a sample of Yale graduates with known addresses to determine the average income of all Yale graduates. This method excludes those who may not be as financially successful, resulting in an inflated av