The problems with numbers written at a level where those with the problems can understand them

books:


	• What the Numbers Say: A Field Guide to Mastering Our Numerical World Derrick Niederman, David Boyum Broadway, 2004 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

All my life I have been misusing the numbers

In a way, I feel very frustrated with this wonderful book, it remainded me when my father recommended me the 7 Habits of Covey and told me " Its sad I found this at 60 and not a your age"... well, its sad to be 42, a mechanical engineer and someone who studies math as a hobby to suddenly realize that I have been using numbers without a guide to their context..

All I can say that this should be required education material at all levels of schooling..

A great book

This book should be required reading for every high school graduate in the country. It is full of useful information to expand you numerical thought process. I highly recommend it, five stars!

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The problems with numbers written at a level where those with the problems can understand them

This is an outstanding book, describing in detail, yet in layman's terms, many of the problems regarding the public's understanding of mathematics. Mathematical reality is what it is; hunches and intuition are just that, sometimes true, which is what is fondly and emphatically remembered, but most often false and conveniently forgotten. The authors discuss topics such as:

*) What mathematics should be taught in the public schools.
*) How mathematics should be taught in the public schools.
*) The reality of regression to the mean and how short-term high achievement is natural.
*) The myth of being in a hot streak.
*) Why the average can be open to more than one interpretation.
*) Pareto's law.
*) How much conditional probability can change the odds.

All are presented in language and terms that anyone can understand.
The most interesting point they made is that most of the quantitative skills needed in life are taught before one exits the sixth grade. While skills such as trigonometry and logarithms are widely used, the majority of people will survive just fine without them. Therefore, the key to making sure that the greatest good is done for the greatest number is to make sure subsequent math education does not reduce those critical quantitative skills.
There have been many popular books written in the last few decades lamenting the lack of number skills in the American populace. This book is one of the best, not only does it point out the problems, it also is written at a level where those with the problems can understand it. And that is no easy task.

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Entertaining Read on an Important Topic

"What the Numbers Say" offers readers an engaging overview of the importance of mathematics and numerical literacy in today's increasingly complex and technologically advanced world.

Utilizing a light and readable style, Niederman and Boyum make a convincing case for the need for more mathematical skills and knowledge for everyone. The mathematics covered in this book are not advanced but are important.

The book is subtitled "A Field Guide to Mastering our Numerical World"...it fits that bill and is well worth a read. Quantitative reasoning is highlighted as an important skill in today's world and, if nothing else, this publication provides a good basis for stimulating readers to hone their mathematical and quantitative reasoning skill sets.

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Excellent. Why did it take me so long to read it?

For some reason I purchased this book, started reading it, and got side tracked for about a year. At the time that I put it aside I guess it hadden't made a big impact on me to the point that when I picked it up again last week I wasn;t expecting much. How worng i was, I now have to go back and re-read the beginning. Chapters 4 through 8 are some of the best writings I have read on numerical thinking, probability and staistics in a long time. The last chapter is outside of my area of expertise, but i resonate with a lot of what the authors are talking about. innumeracy is rampent.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Our society is churning out more numbers than ever before, whether in the form of spreadsheets, brokerage statements, survey results, or just the numbers on the sports pages. Unfortunately, people?s ability to understand and analyze numbers isn?t keeping pace with today?s whizzing data streams. And the benefits of living in the Information Age are available only to those who can process the information in front of them.

What the Numbers Say offers remedies to this national problem. Through a series of witty and engaging discussions, the authors introduce original quantitative concepts, skills, and habits that reduce even the most daunting numerical challenges to simple, bite-sized pieces. Why do the nutritional values on a Cheerios box appear different in Canada than in the U.S.? How is it that top-performing mutual funds often lose money for the majority of their shareholders? Why was the scoring system for Olympic figure skating doomed even without biased judges?

By anchoring their discussions in real-world scenarios, Derrick Niederman and David Boyum show that skilled quantitative thinking involves old-fashioned logic, not advanced mathematical tools. Useful in an endless number of situations, What the Numbers Say is the practical guide to navigating today?s data-rich world.

From the Hardcover edition.

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