Statistics Is the Science of Finding Order in Chaos

I wrote this manuscript to share my affection for statistics and to show that comprehending statistics does not require mastery of mathematical jargon or complex formulations and derivation. I do not claim that upon learning the material in this book you will be considered a statistician or can start a career in statistics; however, I promise you will have a much better understanding of the subject and will be able to apply its methods in the areas to which they apply. I also hope you will gain the wisdom of knowing where the things you have learned will not work and realize that you have to learn new material to handle such cases.

Statistics is the science of life. It does not live outside of real life. Conclusions in statistics are probabilistic in nature as compared to deterministic in most branches of mathematics. Every aspect of life benefits from statistics.

Learning statistics is like learning to play an instrument or learning a foreign language. Simply reading and comprehending the material is not sufficient; you also need to practice, and memorizing the material is also important. It is not sufficient to know the material or where to find it. The same is true about learning foreign languages. Unless you would like to walk around with a dictionary or a statistics book under your arm, you must know the material by heart.

I am indebted to my wife Donna who has helped me in more ways than imaginable. I do not think I can thank her enough. I would like to thank Michael Webb and Candice Bright for their relentless assistance in all aspects of this book. He has been my most reliable source and I could always count on him. I also want to thank my graduate assistants Issam Abu-Ghallous and Brian Carriere. They have provided many hours of help with all aspects of the process. Without the help of Mike, Issam, and Brian, this book would not have been completed. I also would like to thank Madeline Gillette, Anthony Calandrillo, and Matt Orzechowski who read parts of the manuscript.