Dave Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 OK, let's see if I have this right. Dick posts some info, I hated school, Dick is a teacher (sorry if I have that wrong Dick) therefor Dick must be wrong? I've read the whole page of the encyclopedia and still I don't understand[;-)]Love & PeaceDago[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 You catch on pretty quick, though!I think that might be a false syllogism, or an argument from a false position:All cats have four legsMy dog has four legsTherefore my dog is a cat.Much beloved of the Sunday Sport! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Mmmmm....At university, the stats lecturer had a slide which showed the number of penguins dying each year in the Antarctic. The next slide was the amount of coal mined in South Wales (yes, yes, this shows my age, I know that there is precious little coal mined now). Then he "proved" that there was a direct correlation between the two - the more coal mined in Wales, the more penguins died etc.Statistics - don't believe them... (lies, damned lies and statistics - is that right?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Stats are great. It isn't a case that they are deceptive, it is usually the case that the people reading them don't understand them. False correlations are just a laugh...I actually had an intelligent conversation with some Year 8 students last week about a table of deaths in the industrial revolution, based on average life expectancy. We decided that the mean (the average lifespan) was no real help to us, we needed to see the mode (most common age at death). I was pleased that they had remembered that from their maths.There used to be a small section in the Sunday Times which made great play of false correlations. They can be good fun. Correlations can be very helpful, though, and anyone who denies statistics essentially denies science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Among the less socially acceptable jobs I've had was a long spell working for "big tobacco". There was a film made by some of the major players (no pun intended) in the industry which atempted to demonstrate the "lies, damned lies and statistics" argument by showing that statistically the most common link between people who suffer from lung cancer is.......................that they keep pigeons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I've tried that. They are difficult to light, and you need a big pocket for a pack of 20.If anyone wants to see how effective an understanding of statistics can be in saving lives, have a look at John Snow's use of stats to demonstrate the cause of cholera in 1854. That work led to the public health initiatives later in the century and saved potentially many thousands, if not millions, of lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thibault Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Wasn't there a famous case (quoted in How to Lie with Statistics) of a Victorian newspaper report that 50% of deaths of British soldiers in India that year were caused by STDs. It turned out that 2 soldiers had died, one of whom had a STD. A true statistic, but the impression given by quoting it was out of all proportion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 [quote user="Dick Smith"]I actually had an intelligent conversation with some Year 8 students last week [/quote] Oh good to hear that you ARE actually capable of conversing intelligently with somebody Dick.[:-))]Sorry couldn't resist it. I AM JUST MISSING SB. Perhaps I need a little more practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 It's more a case of seizing the opportunities as they arise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 There seems to be alot of people seizing the opportunity with you lately. Give 'em one of these Dick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 So are you 'The Man' now, Dick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Or should this really be called 'Ad Hominid'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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