Statistics Without Tears: A Primer for Non-Mathematicians (Allyn & Bacon Classics Edition)

by Derek Rowntree

Book Overview

An ideal introduction to statistics in any field. This text uses words and diagrams, rather than formulas and equations, to help students from all subject areas understand what statistics is, and how... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0205395090
• ISBN13: 9780205395095
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Pearson
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

If only.....

This book really helps with basic statistics, but it's not going to take all you troubles away. Having said that, I am less scared of quantitative projects and SPSS as a result of reading it, but still sobbing in my Kleenex every time I have to do it....so there.

Contents of the Book

(The "Search Inside the Book" feature was not available for this book at the time this review was posted)One of the things that help me decide whether or not to buy a book is the table of contents. I hope the information below is useful.Introduction.How to use this book.1. Statistical inquiry.Making sense of experience.What is statistics?Descriptive and inferential statistics.Collecting a sample.2. Describing our sample.Statistical variables.Error, accuracy and approximations.3. Summarizing our data.Tables and diagrams.Central tendency (averages).Measures of dispersion.4. The shape of a distribution.Skewed distributions.Introducing the normal distribution.Proportions under the normal curve.Comparing values.5. From sample to population.Estimates and inferences.The logic of sampling.A distribution of sample-means.Estimating the population-mean.Estimating other parameters.6. Comparing samples.From the same or different populations?Significance testing.The significance of significance.Comparing dispersions.Non-parametric methods.7. Further matters of significance.One- versus two-tailed tests.z-tests and t-tests.Comparing several means.Comparing proportions.8. Analysing relationships.Paired values.Three kinds of correlation.The strength of a correlation.The significance of a correlation coefficient.Interpreting a correlation coefficient.Prediction and regression.Postscript.Review.Caution.Bibliography.Index.

Small and Expensive? - Maybe Not.

This book is true to its title. It IS a primer for non-mathematicians. It teaches extremely useful concepts in a concise and simple way with as little math as possible. A small and easy to read book - you will want to take it with you and read it on the bus, plane, subway, etc.The only drawback is the price - however, it may be not so expensive if it saves you several hours that would be otherwise spent trying to read other, less readable, books. How much is your time worth to you?

Excellent Primer on Statistical Methods for Amateurs

Derek Rowntree's Statistics Withuot Tears is an excellent primer on concepts in statistics, written in very easy-to-understand language. It has just enough mathematics in it to be useful as a reference without being opaque. Several books I have read written for "non-mathematicians" have not fit the bill, but this book explains statistics in a way that an average person can understand. A friend of mine says that he recommends this book to friends when they are having difficulty in college statistics courses; it is an excellent tool for explaining concepts in a subject that mathematics instructors sometimes do not explain well.

"Without Tears" but WITH Value

The text is the first I've found that speaks about statistics in truly lay terms. No Carl Sagan, the author nonetheless brings a difficult--and potentially boring--subject to the masses. Okay, not the masses. Let's just say, the interested. I teach a Stats course in a large M.B.A. program; I recommend this book to all my students.