Northumbria- Town in England % of all crimes solved 86.7 % of victims of crime are “ ‘Satisfied’ with overall service of police”

“I have statistics to prove it” Common support of argument What can statistics prove? Are statistics deceptive? Deceptive= 속이는

Unknowable Statistics Cheating on taxes- People who drink and drive- People who use drugs- People who illegally download- Anything in common? Must ask: How did author get this estimate?

One way to make money fast is to become a professional golfer. The average pro golfer made almost $880,000 in tournaments in What is the best way to make money quickly? Tim= 2,000,000 Fred= 1,690,000 Bob= 560,000 Mike= 100,000 Larry= 50,000

3- Averages Mean= [A+B+C+D+E+F+G]/ 7 or Sum of values divided by number of values Median= A+B+C+D+E+F+G or Middle value Mode= A+A+B+C+D+E+E+E+E+E+E+E or Most common

Range= Gap between smallest & largest values Distribution= How frequently each distribution occurs Average lottery winner won $112,285 $ 1,000,000 $10,000, $500 $50 $10 $5 $1 $1 $1

Proves one thing, Concludes something different Bio Lean is effective in helping people lose weight. Only 6 out 100 people reported any side effects. “Since 94% of people have positive results, our pill is one of the most effective pills on the market.”

Almost half of all Americans cheat on their significant other. A researcher interviewed people at a shopping mall. Of the 75 respondents, 36 admitted to having cheated on someone they “were seeing”

Researcher asked college students: “Have you ever had a night of binge drinking?” 83% said “yes” “The results demonstrate that universities are overly stressing students, causing them to do dangerous behaviors to escape the pressure” Tips: 1. Before reading statistics, ask, “What info is necessary?” 2. Pay attention to words in stat/con. 3. Don’t read conclusion.

Omit Absolute Number “Large businesses are destroying the small town feel of our downtown area. Just last year, the number of large businesses increased by 75%” 4 to 7 12 to 21

Omit Percentages Despite common fears, skydiving is much safer than other activities, such as driving a car. In one particular month in Los Angeles, 176 people died in car accidents while 3 died in skydiving accidents. Ask: What information is missing?

What information is missing? SUVs are dangerous and should not be allowed on the road. In 2009, SUVs were responsible for 4,666 deaths. How many deaths would have been prevented if car? How many vehicle accidents not involving SUV? # of SUVs compared to other vehicles? Compared to what?

Risk Statistics Situation: 65 year old woman had a stroke. She is discussing treatment options with doctor. Treatment X will reduce the likelihood of a future stroke by 33%. Treatment Y will reduce the risk by 3% With treatment Z, 94% of women are free of second stroke for 10 years, compared to 91% who go untreated.

Weight Loss Products Try to identify how statistics are misused in the following commercial.

Magic Ball Nearly every advertisement contains an argument. As you watch the magic ball product promotion, see if you can recognize 1. Reasons 2. Intermediate Conclusion 3. Conclusion

Reason 1 There is a special mist that creates clean air.

Reason 2 It capsulizes virus.

Intermediate Conclusion Clean air + No virus= Better Life

Reason 3 There are two sizes to choose from.

Reason 4 (& Reason 5) 8 Colors & 17 Aromas

Assumptions

My wife and I were looking for a hooded towel for Ella. On my computer, I found the towel below. At the same time, my wife found an organic towel that was more than twice as expensive. Of course, I asked why I should buy the organic towel. On the next slide, you can see the argument I saw.

Which one do you think I bought? Which one would you have bought? Why?