 "Nice" | 2009-10-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: AOLZKCOVJGEW |
| The book was in great shape and it arrived earlier than I expected. Well done! |
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| "Best intro to statistics" | 2009-07-04 |
| - Reviewed By mwebb1234a2 |
| I am a totally none statistics trained person, however in my job I work with engineers and mathematicians that also teach statistics at the university undergraduate and graduate. The Cartoon Guide to Statistics covered the entire spectrum of what my mathematicians talk about when they identify the statistics they are using for the projects I manage. The book is on my work reference shelf as a ready reference as its explanations are very thorough. I am planning on taking formal statistics courses to do more hands on working through the formulas to have a better understanding. But going into the class, thanks to this book I will have an understanding of the principle and intent of the different parts of statistics. After reading the book I now know what my engineers mean with they say it all a roll of he dice (if this doesn't make sense, read the book its very well explained) |
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| "Perfect for me - probably not for everyone" | 2009-03-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: A10QOYS129PDT3 |
I'm in love with this book and I feel like it was written with me in mind, so if your math background and goals are anything like mine, I can't recommend it enough.
So, here's my deal: I'm a med student and am about to start a bio statistics course. I wanted to brush up on stat ahead of time over spring break, but I knew I'd never bring myself to read a serious stat book on the beach (especially having ADD). I've never taken a stat course, but my math education got as far as calculus many years ago, and I teach SAT math so I'm not too rusty on algebra. I'm also a general-purpose science nerd and feel pretty comfortable with the fundamentals of probability.
Most of the chapters started out reviewing things I already knew - for example, one of the first chapters goes over the definitions of mean and median and how to calculate them - none of which was news to me. (Ironically, even though the author probably ought to include such basic concepts for the sake of completeness, anyone who doesn't already understand how to calculate an average is probably going to find this book too advanced). But the chapter then went on to explain how to calculate standard deviations and other more advanced concepts I'd long since forgotten at a pretty ideal level.
So, at my present math-nerd rank, some of the book was skimmable review, and most of it was exactly what I was hoping to learn presented in a way that was neither dumbed-down nor confusing.
I was afraid that the gimicky nature of a cartoon math text might go along with sloppy pedagogy, but it's exactly the opposite. I feel like a lot of thought was put into presenting the material in the most logical way possible. It's also ideal for visual learners like myself, since every concept is shown as a picture or graph, sometimes in multiple ways. And, of course, the cartoons make it fun to read. Don't expect the jokes to be hilarious, but they're cute enough to keep my attention, and that's HUGE.
Now, here's who I think shouldn't buy this book: I think if you're a serious math geek you're going to find this book too slow. (On the other hand, a serious math geek probably wouldn't buy a cartoon math book anyway...) While it might be useful to a geek who's just forgotten an equation or two, you'd have to wade through a lot of cutesy stuff to find a specific bit of info.
I also think you shouldn't buy this book if you're a total math-a-phobe. The book assumes a fair amount of math background, and uses scary greek letters. If you're up for a challenge, I think almost anyone can get some use from the book, but if your math skills are really lacking, you'll have to be brave when reading it. It's not going to hold your hand. This book plus a patient math-geek friend to fill in the gaps might get you through, though. I hate to discourage anyone from buying this book, since I think it does such a fantastic job - but you should have fair warning that it does go into moderately advanced concepts.
In short, this is a book for nerds who think math is kinda cool, are already comfortable with the basic concepts of probability, and are looking for a serious but fun crash-course in statistics. It's also ideal for visual learners and those who find it difficult to force themselves to read prose-heavy texts.
I personally feel like I'm going to rock my bio stat class thanks to this book, and I seriously enjoyed reading it. |
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| "Cartoon Guide to Statistics" | 2009-03-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: AMOFM84D0SPWL |
| This is an informative, entertaining way to study and learn about statistics. Sometimes statistics can come off a little dry and boring. This gives it a different perspective and a visual way to learn about a normally dull subject. I would recommend this to anyone who is a visual learner. |
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| "This is the way to learn Statistics" | 2009-01-31 |
| - Reviewed By User: A30VPODGSQ6OYI |
| Larry Gonick and the illustrator Woollcott Smith does an excellent job in taking complex topics in Statistics and making it simple for the average person to understand. They do an exceptional job at explaining both Probablity and Statistical Inferences. Great book for a beginning student or a seasoned professional needing a quick review of Statistics. |
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| "Advanced Math" | 2008-11-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2HUA4UYSQIYS0 |
I cannot recommend a book more highly than this!
To overcome the boring, confusing instruction you received in college or high school about statistics you NEED this book.
Never has math been so easy.
Written with humor and the "picture is worth a thousand words" style of cartoon books, you'll get the message.
And remember 5 out of 4 people have trouble with statistics.
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