This week we take a look at the interesting statistical problem of false positives, which naturally arise when you do lots of diagnostic tests or hypothesis tests. Our course spotlight deals with another aspect of multiple statistical studies – how to combine them into a single conclusion: Oct 16 – Nov 13: Meta Analysis inContinue reading “Sept 24: Statistics in Practice”
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False Positive Rate – It’s Not What You Might Think
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” said Alexander Pope in 1711; he could have been speaking of the use of statistics by experts in all fields. In this article, we look at three consequential mistakes in the field of statistics. Two of them are famous, the third required a deep dive into the corporate annual reports of
Famous Errors in Statistics
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” said Alexander Pope in 1711; he could have been speaking of the use of statistics by experts in all fields. In this article, we look at three consequential mistakes in the field of statistics. Two of them are famous, the third required a deep dive into the corporate annual reports of
Puzzle: Surgery or Radiation
Several decades ago, the dominant therapies for lung cancer were radiation, which offered better short-term survival rates, and surgery, which offered better long-term rates. A thought experiment was conducted in which surgeons were randomly assigned to one of two groups and asked whether they would choose surgery.
Group 1 was told: The one-month survival rate is 90%.
Group 2 was told: There is 10% mortality in the first month.
Yes, the two statements say the same thing. What did the two physician groups choose?
Sept 10: Statistics in Practice
This week we look at the second most popular percentage in statistics: 80%. Our course spotlight is on: Oct 30 –Nov 27: Sample Size and Power Determination See you in class! Peter Bruce Founder, Author, and Senior Scientist The Popular 80% Researchers and analysts are familiar with the famous 5% benchmark in statistics, the typicalContinue reading “Sept 10: Statistics in Practice”
Type III Error
The Popular 80%
Sept 2: Statistics in Practice
This week, our topic is Data Engineering, and we feature a guest blog by Will Goodrum, a data scientist at Elder Research. Our course spotlight is Oct 2 -30: Categorical Data Analysis See you in class! Peter Bruce Founder, Author, and Senior Scientist Four Common Pitfalls in Data Engineering Regular readers of this feature knowContinue reading “Sept 2: Statistics in Practice”
Four Common Pitfalls in Data Engineering
Relative Risk Ratio and Odds Ratio
Aug 25: Statistics in Practice
Vaccines for Covid are in the news, and this week we focus on the clinical trial process that validates vaccines as safe and effective. Our spotlight is on our 10-course Biostatistics Certificate Program. You can get started with Need to brush up on your stats? Enrollees in the certificate program can take our introductory statisticsContinue reading “Aug 25: Statistics in Practice”
Of Note: An outlier that lies in the middle of the data
An outlier or anomaly is typically defined as a case that is markedly distant or different from the bulk of the data. Our July 28 blog on outliers and anomaly detection reported on one unusual case in which the outlier might lie fully within the typical data range. “In one aerospace project, for example, theContinue reading “Of Note: An outlier that lies in the middle of the data”
Clinical Trial Process that Validates Vaccines as Safe and Effective
Aug 19: Statistics in Practice
Last week we looked at a notable failure of the statistic “AUC”; this week we dive deeper. Our curriculum spotlight is our 10-course Analytics for Data Science certificate program: compare cost and coverage to ANY Master’s program! You can get started with Sep 11 – Oct 9: Predictive Analytics 1 Need to brush up on your stats? Continue reading “Aug 19: Statistics in Practice”
AUC: A Fatally Flawed Model Metric
Recidivism, and the Failure of AUC
Endpoint or Outcome (example: Covid-19 vaccine)
Aug 4: Statistics in Practice
In this week’s brief, we feature a data-detective story: The Case of the Faulty Generator. Our spotlight is on our Analytics for Data Science certificate program*. See you in class! *Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Data Science and Analytics concurrently at Thomas Edison State University. Peter Bruce Founder, Author, and Senior Scientist Sira-Kvina Hydro PowerContinue reading “Aug 4: Statistics in Practice”