Description
Need to learn statistics as part of your job, or looking for help to pass a statistics course? Statistics in a Nutshell is a clear and concise introduction and reference for anyone with no previous background in the subject. You get a firm grasp of the basics before moving into increasingly advanced material. Each chapter presents you with easy-to-follow descriptions illustrated by graphics, formulas, and plenty of solved examples.
Full Description
Need to learn statistics as part of your job, or want some help passing a statistics course?
Statistics in a Nutshell is a clear and concise introduction and reference that's perfect for anyone with no previous background in the subject. This book gives you a solid understanding of statistics without being too simple, yet without the numbing complexity of most college texts.
You get a firm grasp of the fundamentals and a hands-on understanding of how to apply them before moving on to the more advanced material that follows. Each chapter presents you with easy-to-follow descriptions illustrated by graphics, formulas, and plenty of solved examples. Before you know it, you'll learn to apply statistical reasoning and statistical techniques, from basic concepts of probability and hypothesis testing to multivariate analysis.
Organized into four distinct sections,
Statistics in a Nutshell offers you:
Introductory material:
- Different ways to think about statistics
- Basic concepts of measurement and probability theory
- Data management for statistical analysis
- Research design and experimental design
- How to critique statistics presented by others
Basic inferential statistics:
- Basic concepts of inferential statistics
- The concept of correlation, when it is and is not an appropriate measure of association
- Dichotomous and categorical data
- The distinction between parametric and nonparametric statistics
Advanced inferential techniques:
- The General Linear Model
- Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and MANOVA
- Multiple linear regression
Specialized techniques:
- Business and quality improvement statistics
- Medical and public health statistics
- Educational and psychological statistics
Unlike many introductory books on the subject, Statistics in a Nutshell doesn't omit important material in an effort to dumb it down. And this book is far more practical than most college texts, which tend to over-emphasize calculation without teaching you when and how to apply different statistical tests.
With Statistics in a Nutshell, you learn how to perform most common statistical analyses, and understand statistical techniques presented in research articles. If you need to know how to use a wide range of statistical techniques without getting in over your head, this is the book you want.
Colophon
The animal on the cover of Statistics in a Nutshell is a thornback crab, also known
as a spiny spider crab (Maja squinado, Maja brachydactyla). Found in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the thornback crab is the largest
of the European crabs, with a carapace diameter of two to seven inches. It is easily identifiable by the two hornlike spikes between its eyes, and the six or so smaller spikes that extend from each side of its shell. The thornback's body is reddish, with pink, brown, or yellow markings, and its surface is also covered with small spikes, as the crab's name implies.
Thornback crabs are occasionally found on the shore, but they prefer depths of 90 to 600 feet. They are solitary animals except during mating season, when they form large breeding mounds. In years when their numbers are particularly abundant, they can be a source of frustration for lobster fisherman, as they infest the lobster pots. Thornbacks are themselves fished for their delicious claw meat.
Male thornbacks are effective predators; their delicate-looking claws are actually quite powerful and can open small mussels to feed on them. Their claws are also double-jointed, so although it is generally safe for a person to hold crustaceans by each side of their shells, thornbacks are able to reach over their backs to pinch the offender. Females have smaller, less flexible claws and are thus more vulnerable to attack. To defend against their predators-which include lobsters, wrasses, and cuttlefish-many species of spider crabs decorate their spiny shells with seaweed, sponges, or aquatic debris to better blend in against the seabed.
The cover image is from Lydekker's Library of Natural History. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSansMonoCondensed.
