Lying Numbers: How Maths and Statistics Are Twisted and Abused
Nov 2020 · Hachette UK
Ebook
256
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
A readily understandable exploration of how figures are badly reported or deliberately misrepresented everywhere from political arguments and briefings to business presentations and shopping offers.
Praise for Hugh Barker's Million Dollar Maths:
'Great fun. A clear, original and highly readable account of the curious relationship between mathematics and money.' Professor Ian Stewart - author of Significant Figures
'A lively crash course in the mathematics of gambling, investing, and managing. Hugh Barker makes deep ideas fun and profitable.' William Poundstone - author of How to Predict the Unpredictable
Politicians, economists, scientists, journalists . . . all of them have been known to bend the truth and to twist the facts from time to time. But surely the numbers and statistics they rely on are cold, hard objective facts that tell the real story?
Of course the truth is much murkier than that. Figures can be misinterpreted, misunderstood, misconstrued and misused in hundreds of different ways. This book takes a look at the many ways that statistical information can be badly reported or deliberately misused in all walks of life, from political arguments, to business presentations, to more local concerns such as shopping offers and utility bills.
A polemical guide to how numbers are used to mislead, which is intended to help the reader through the minefield of dubious stats and lying numbers.
Praise for Hugh Barker's Million Dollar Maths:
'Great fun. A clear, original and highly readable account of the curious relationship between mathematics and money.' Professor Ian Stewart - author of Significant Figures
'A lively crash course in the mathematics of gambling, investing, and managing. Hugh Barker makes deep ideas fun and profitable.' William Poundstone - author of How to Predict the Unpredictable
Politicians, economists, scientists, journalists . . . all of them have been known to bend the truth and to twist the facts from time to time. But surely the numbers and statistics they rely on are cold, hard objective facts that tell the real story?
Of course the truth is much murkier than that. Figures can be misinterpreted, misunderstood, misconstrued and misused in hundreds of different ways. This book takes a look at the many ways that statistical information can be badly reported or deliberately misused in all walks of life, from political arguments, to business presentations, to more local concerns such as shopping offers and utility bills.
A polemical guide to how numbers are used to mislead, which is intended to help the reader through the minefield of dubious stats and lying numbers.
About the author
HUGH BARKER is a non-fiction author and editor; as the latter he has edited several successful popular maths books, including A Slice of Pi. He is the author of Million Dollar Maths (Atlantic Books, October 2018) and High Tech Maths (Atlantic, 2019-20). Hugh is a keen amateur mathematician, and was accepted to study maths at Cambridge University aged 16.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
