http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/14/statistical-methods/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:07:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/14/statistical-methods/comment-page-1/#comment-46223 Don Sat, 16 Oct 2004 15:16:11 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2353#comment-46223 Nathaniel, The debate about whether the Census should use statistical sampling was not merely about statistical ignorance, but rather about the very phrase in the Constitution which established the Census Bureau, which requires an 'actual enumeration'. Not a statistically sampled 'count', but an actual physical count. It may be gratifying to put the argument against sampling down to ignorance, but not entirely accurate I think.... Nathaniel, The debate about whether the Census should use statistical sampling was not merely about statistical ignorance, but rather about the very phrase in the Constitution which established the Census Bureau, which requires an ‘actual enumeration’. Not a statistically sampled ‘count’, but an actual physical count. It may be gratifying to put the argument against sampling down to ignorance, but not entirely accurate I think….

]]> http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/14/statistical-methods/comment-page-1/#comment-46222 Donald A. Coffin Fri, 15 Oct 2004 18:37:44 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2353#comment-46222 This is not a response to Kieran's specific question, but a reference to an extremely interesting and useful book for anyone interested in statistics. (I'd have posted this earlier, but have been working from home with a bad back and the book is in my office.) The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century W. H. reeman, 2001), by David Salsburg, is about the uses (and some of the abuses) of statistics in helping us understand the world around us. This is not a response to Kieran’s specific question, but a reference to an extremely interesting and useful book for anyone interested in statistics. (I’d have posted this earlier, but have been working from home with a bad back and the book is in my office.) The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century W. H. reeman, 2001), by David Salsburg, is about the uses (and some of the abuses) of statistics in helping us understand the world around us.

]]> http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/14/statistical-methods/comment-page-1/#comment-46221 Ross Thu, 14 Oct 2004 18:37:28 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2353#comment-46221 Kieran, I've not heard the quote, but from the context you provide, it sounds like it could have related to G. Udny Yule's 1899 study of pauperism in England. See <a href="http://www.tufts.edu/~gdallal/cause.htm">here</a> for more details on the study. Kieran, I’ve not heard the quote, but from the context you provide, it sounds like it could have related to G. Udny Yule’s 1899 study of pauperism in England. See here for more details on the study.

]]> http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/14/statistical-methods/comment-page-1/#comment-46220 praktike Thu, 14 Oct 2004 18:27:52 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2353#comment-46220 George Bush's "fuzzy math" allegation against Al Gore in the 2000 debates? George Bush’s “fuzzy math” allegation against Al Gore in the 2000 debates?

]]> http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/14/statistical-methods/comment-page-1/#comment-46219 pj Thu, 14 Oct 2004 14:00:32 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2353#comment-46219 My favorite example in this vein is Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell's ridiculing any argument based on statistics as "numerology." In this view, its far better to rely on a judge's "gut" than data. My favorite example in this vein is Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell’s ridiculing any argument based on statistics as “numerology.” In this view, its far better to rely on a judge’s “gut” than data.

]]> http://crookedtimber.org/2004/10/14/statistical-methods/comment-page-1/#comment-46218 Nathaniel Thu, 14 Oct 2004 05:56:26 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2353#comment-46218 Kieran, For a more recent example,: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-c25.html - Of course I'm disgusted - haven't you been paying attention? Nathaniel Kieran, For a more recent example,: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-c25.html – Of course I’m disgusted – haven’t you been paying attention? Nathaniel

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