Introduction

Welcome to Significant Statistics: An Introduction to Statistics. This textbook was written to provide students access to high-quality learning materials at no cost. These types of materials available under Creative Commons licenses are often called open educational resources (OER).

Statistics is about separating the signal from the noise, differentiating between actual significance and random chance occurrences. In addition to demonstrating the basic concepts underlying that task, this book attempts to focus on what is significant, eliminating some of the noise commonly found in introductory statistics texts.

In this book, I have “remixed” sections from two of the most widely used OER texts in the introductory statistics space and sprinkled in some thoughts of my own. This book does not lean on any specific technology, focusing instead on concepts.

Most sections feature worked examples with solutions, some of which have interactive features. Then “Your Turn!” problems are included to encourage readers to try similar problems independently. Each end-of-chapter “Wrap-Up” includes a chapter quiz, list of key terms, and links to practice problems and other resources.

Thanks for choosing this book. I hope it proves useful!

Sincerely,

John Morgan Russell

Significant Statistics: An Introduction to Statistics is intended as a one-semester introduction to statistics for students who are not mathematics or engineering majors. It focuses on the interpretation of statistical results, especially in real-world settings, and assumes that students have an understanding of intermediate algebra. In addition to plenty of practice problems, examples of each topic are explained step by step throughout the text.

Having successfully completed the course, the student should be able to:

• Identify and critique the use of statistical reasoning in science, industry, and public discourse

• Identify the appropriate data needed to answer research questions

• Assign appropriate data collection methods

• Apply appropriate methods of data visualization to explore data from a variety of disciplines

• Analyze provided data and use relevant technology when needed

• Appropriately interpret results of data exploration and statistical tests

• Employ critical thinking to make decisions

• Apply ethical reasoning and principles to scientific research

This book will cover the following topics:

• Chapter 1: Sampling and Data
• Chapter 2: Univariate Descriptive Statistics
• Chapter 3: Bivariate Descriptive Statistics
• Chapter 4: Probability Distributions
• Chapter 5: Foundations of Inference
• Chapter 6: Inference for One Sample
• Chapter 7: Inference for Two Samples