The big idea
📊
Reasoning under uncertainty
Not a set of formulas — a way of deciding how much to trust a number.
Statistics for Everyday Life · Lesson 1
What Is Statistics?
beginner⏱ 16 min · 7 cards
Compare
Two different jobs
Descriptive
Summarises what you measured
Tap.
tap for example ↻
Inferential
Claims about people you did not
Tap.
tap for example ↻
Almost every statistical error is in the leap from measured to unmeasured.
Try it
Describe or Infer?
“The mean score in this class was 65.”
Does this summarize what was measured, or claim something about people who were not?
The leap from measured to unmeasured is where statistics gets both powerful and risky.
Sort statements by how far past the data they reach.
Both true
Average income up, median flat
If gains concentrate at the top, the mean rises while the middle does not move.
Two sides of an argument, both citing real data, disagreeing about which summary answers the question.
Nuance
The first move
Think like a Maester
Before doing anything with a number, say in plain language what it claims and about whom. Most errors are visible at that step.
Quick check
What makes statistics necessary?
You did it
Nice work
Mark this lesson complete to track your progress.