Wouldn't it be great if there were a statistics book that made histograms, probability distributions, and chi square analysis more enjoyable than going to the dentist? Head First Statistics brings this typically dry subject to life, teaching you everything you want and need to know about statistics through engaging, interactive, and thought-provoking material, full of puzzles, stories, quizzes, visual aids, and real-world examples. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just curious about statistical analysis, Head First's brain-friendly formula helps you get a firm grasp of statistics so you can understand key points and actually use them. Learn to present data visually with charts and plots; discover the difference between taking the average with mean, median, and mode, and why it's important; learn how to calculate probability and expectation; and much more. Head First Statistics is ideal for high school and college students taking statistics and satisfies the requirements for passing the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics Exam. With this book, you'll:

• Study the full range of topics covered in first-year statistics

• Tackle tough statistical concepts using Head First's dynamic, visually rich format proven to stimulate learning and help you retain knowledge

• Explore real-world scenarios, ranging from casino gambling to prescription drug testing, to bring statistical principles to life

• Discover how to measure spread, calculate odds through probability, and understand the normal, binomial, geometric, and Poisson distributions

• Conduct sampling, use correlation and regression, do hypothesis testing, perform chi square analysis, and more

Before you know it, you'll not only have mastered statistics, you'll also see how they work in the real world. Head First Statistics will help you pass your statistics course, and give you a firm understanding of the subject so you can apply the knowledge throughout your life.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 14 Ratings

An outstanding introduction to statistics - 2009-08-18
Reviewer Rating:
Head First Statistics is an outstanding introduction to statistics for those who need a good nuts-and-bolts guide that explains what the basic statistical operations are, how to use them, and-- most importantly-- where they should be used. It would also be very useful to those who were left dazed and confused by an earlier encounter with a college stats course. This is because it differs so much from most textbooks and reviews guides. In fact, it's actually interesting to read, and the exercises are fun to do. (I know how unlikely that sounds, but it's true!)

The greatest strength of this book is the progressive way it builds understanding by clearly explaining exactly what each statistical function means, what the results of each function shows about the data, and when it should-- and shouldn't-- be applied. By the end, anyone who reads carefully and does the exercises will have a pretty firm grip on the essentials of statistical analysis.

The book is unusual in its concept and design, too. The concepts are served up in easily digestible bites with lots of graphics, useful sidebars containing supplemental information, and exercises based on practical, real-world cases. No math beyond basic algebra is necessary for doing any of the exercises in the book. Finally, the tone is light and conversational, but it isn't at all condescending or cutsie.

This most certainly is not an advanced textbook or a comprehensive reference manual. However, for anyone who needs an introductory text or a review for a stats exam, this is the book to get. I recommend it most highly.

The best book on Statistics so far! - 2009-01-16
Reviewer Rating:
This book is excellent if you are new to Statistics, even if you always had problems with general math, you'll understand perfectly! Srsly, if you're looking for a great book which takes the boring-ness out of statistics, this is it!

Hate math? Need answers? - 2009-04-19
Reviewer Rating:
Hate math? Need to turn data into information? Information into answers? This book is near perfect. Easy to read text, easy to follow examples, easy to understand diagrams. I only wish my stats professors made it this clear. Head First Statistics does an excellent job of making the use of statistics applicable to life...not just to actuaries. Whether you are looking for a book to help you get a better foundation of statistics or one that will help you recall what you learned (or should have learned) in college, I highly recommend this one.

Clear & intuitive - 2010-01-20
Reviewer Rating:
I was reading Manning & Schutze's lovely book on statistical NLP Foundations of Statistical Natural Language Processing. In chapter 5 they discuss collocations and section 5.3 talks about hypothesis testing. I forgot how one forms the null hypothesis and comes up with a test statistic, so looked up HEAD FIRST STATISTICS (chapter 13). What a clear and lovely example with which Dawn Griffiths has explained hypothesis testing! I could not believe that someone could explain things so clearly! In p.530 he explains the WHY -> "H0, the null hypothesis, is like - putting a prisoner on trial in front of a jury. You only sentence the prisoner if there is strong evidence against him." Lovely! That's the way one should explain things! (I wish I had teachers and professors who had such good understanding of their subjects and could teach them with simple and interesting examples. I would have never fallen asleep in my college lectures!)

I believe in the HEAD FIRST approach to learning and teaching things. Learning should be fun.

I wish every subject has a HEAD FIRST textbook that teaches the basics and lets students develop the understanding and the intuition first. As a college student I did t-test, z-test, etc., without any real understanding! Books like HEAD FIRST STATISTICS do a fantastic job in helping one learn things really really well. WELL DONE!

Good introductory stat book - 2009-03-02
Reviewer Rating:
If you need to understand the basics of statistics and statistical concepts, but are terrified of math, then this is probably the book you need to check out. This book moves slowly through basic statistical concepts, using lots of pictures, graphs, and diagrams to make the explanation more meaningful. Again, if mathematics doesn't scare you, you'll be quickly bored by this book. But for those who are scared of math, this is a perfect book to help navigate the world of statistics.

While this book doesn't cover a huge number of concepts (e.g. ANOVA is not covered at all), those it does cover are done well. When complete, the reader should have a good understanding of data visualization, basic statistics (mean, median, mode), the most common sampling distributions, regression analysis, and common parametric tests (including tests based off the normal and chi-square distribution).

All in all, I think this book will be entertaining for most readers, and the material is presented in a way that is engaging and relevant. Most statistics students are naturally confused when discussing probability distributions, but this book presents it in the context of Las Vegas, which makes it much more understandable for the average reader.

While not for everyone, this is a good introductory statistics book that makes difficult concepts much easier to understand. If you have a degree in statistics or are otherwise well-versed in the subject, you likely won't find what you're looking for here. However, those without math-based college degrees will find a fun read and good introduction to the subject of statistics.

Browse Similar Topics

Top Level Categories:
Business
Computer Science
Desktop Applications

Sub-Categories:
Business > Statistics
Computer Science > Models Of Computation
Desktop Applications > Data Collection and Analysis