While many of the “Nutshell” books assume you already know the subject and simply need a reference book, Statistics In A Nutshell takes a decidedly different approach. While this book assumes you understand basic math concepts, it does not assume you have any prior background in statistics. It then proceeds to cover nearly every fundamental concept taught during an introductory statistics course.
While many introductory statistics courses go through basic descriptive statistics and move through more advanced concepts like ANOVA or liner regression, I found that this book also covered such concepts as non-parametric tests, design of experiments, and the general linear model. Certainly, these concepts are not covered in as much depth as say a college-level courses dedicated to non-parametric statistics. However, the concepts are there, and the authors provide enough information to make the discussion valuable.
The last few sections of the book discuss the use of statistics in a variety of professions, including manufacturing, business, medical, and education fields. Individuals who may not feel comfortable with their math skills can take comfort in the fact that the book provides a section on basic math skills, however, those who may be mathematically challenged may argue with the term “basic”.
All in all, I think this is an excellent book for individuals who are looking to implement the scientific method and statistics in their business. The author provides sound explanations of the concepts and plenty of figures and tables to explain difficult concepts. I’d highly recommend this book for the reader who is not afraid of a little math and wants to understand statistics and statistical concepts.
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