Introduction to Statistics An

Learn Statistics Without Fear!

Build a solid foundation in data analysis. Be confident that you understand what your data are telling you and that you can explain the results to others! I'll help you intuitively understand statistics by using simple language and deemphasizing formulas.

This guide starts with an overview of statistics and why it is so important. We proceed to essential statistical skills and knowledge about different types of data, relationships, and distributions. Then we move to using inferential statistics to expand human knowledge, how it fits into the scientific method, and how to design and critique experiments.

Learn the fundamentals of statistics.

• Why is the field of statistics so vital in our data-driven society?
• Interpret graphs and summary statistics.
• Find relationships between different types of variables.
• Understand the properties of data distributions.
• Use measures of central tendency and variability.
• Interpret correlations and percentiles.
• Use probability distributions to calculate probabilities.
• Learn about the normal and binomial distributions in depth.
• Grasp the differences between descriptive and inferential statistics.
• Use data collection methodologies properly and understand sample size considerations.
• Design and critique scientific experiments—whether it's your own or another researcher's.
• Free access to downloadable datasets to follow along with the examples.

About the Author

Jim Frost has extensive experience using statistical analysis in academic research and consulting projects. He’s been performing statistical analysis on-the-job for over 20 years. For 10 of those years, he was at a statistical software company helping others make the most out of their data. Jim loves sharing the joy of statistics. In addition to writing books, he has a statistics website and writes a regular column for the American Society of Quality's Statistics Digest.