"Misinformation can be beautiful too" (on using graphs, charts, etc. for numerical data)

[Dolphin]

Relatively short article, doesn't require any mathematical knowledge:

Misinformation can be beautiful too

Data visualisation creates powerful, elegant images from complex information, but can also be potentially deceptive

http://timharford.com/2013/05/misinformation-can-be-beautiful-too/

The short book "How to Lie with Statistics" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Lie_with_Statistics gives similar examples of this. It's a useful little book to read esp. if don't know much math(s) (and so might never read more heavy books).

 

[SOC]

The short book "How to Lie with Statistics" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Lie_with_Statistics gives similar examples of this. It's a useful little book to read esp. if don't know much math(s) (and so might never read more heavy books).

Excellent book. I make all my private students read it to graduate from high school. Easy read, but important for the basic understanding of how statistics are used (or misused) in politics and the media -- and some science, as we well know.