Resource Library

"The Law of Statistics" is a poem by Scottish poet Eveline Pye from Glasgow Caledonin University. The poem was originally published in the February 2016 issue of Talking Writing magazine. "The Law of Statistics" is about the case of Sally Clark, who was wrongly convicted in England of killing two of her children based on an error in "expert" testimony regarding the probability of two crib deaths in the same family. The poem might be used in course discussions about conditional probability and Bayes Theorem.

A joke to be used in discussing permutations and combinations in a probability course. The Joke was written in 2016 by Judah Lesser an AP statistics student from El Paso, Texas.

...making an appeal to the eye when proportion and magnitude are concerned, is the best and readiest method of conveying a distinct idea. is a quote by Scottish political economist William Playfair (1759 - 1823) often credited as the originator of statistical graphics. The quote is found in the preface to his 1801 book "The Statistical Breviary: Shewing, on a Principle Entirely New, The Resources of Every State and Kingdom in Europe" (the book where he introduced the piechart)

Most real life statistical problems have one or more nonstandard features. There are no routine statistical question; only questionable statistical routines. is a quote by British Statistician Sir David R. Cox (1924 - ). The quote may be found on page 240 in Christopher Chatfield's 1991 article "Avoiding Statistical Pitfalls" in "Statistical Science".

Averages don't always reveal the most telling realities. You know, Shaquille O'Neal and I have an average height of 6 feet. is a quote from American political economist and former Secretary of Labor, Robert B. Reich (1946 - ). The quote was first published on October 6, 1994 in the Business section of "The Chicago Tribune". Robert Reich is 4 foot 10 inches tall. (Picture of Robert Reich is by Michael Collopy)

Data is the sword of the 21st century, those who wield it well, the Samurai. is a quote from American businessman Jonathan Rosenberg, the Senior Vice President of Product Management at Google Inc. The quote appeared in "The Official Google Blog" on February 16, 2009

Conducting data analysis is like drinking a fine wine. It is important to swirl and sniff the wine, to unpack the complex bouquet and to appreciate the experience. Gulping the wine doesn't work. is a quote by British quantitative cognitive psychologist Daniel B. Wright. The quote is found in his 2003 article "Making friends with your data: Improving how statistics are conducted and reported" in the "British Journal of Educational Psychology", volume 73 page 123-136.

Hot streaks are a statistical illusion! This is a quote from the cartoon character Lisa Simpson created by cartoonist Matt Groening (1954 - ) in 1987. The quote occurs in an episode of The Simpsons entitled "MoneyBART" that originally aired on October 10, 2010. This episode was written by Tim Long (1969 - ).

A statistician who works as a consultant shares information about his career and how he has learned to be more effective in the professional world in this September 2009 article in AMSTAT News.

In this September 2009 article from AMSTAT news, several statisticians share the stories of how they chose careers in statistics.