- Publisher: Profile
- Year: 2021
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 256pp
- Illustrated: No
- Dimensions: 197x128mm
- Condition: New
- Weight: 0.2kg
- ISBN: 9781788162593
- Product code: 539732
Something Doesn’t Add Up
Surviving Statistics in a Number-Mad World
Paul Goodwin New Paperback
Postscript summary
Through algorithms, league tables and targets, numbers play a significant role in our lives. In his wry account of the ways in which statistics can be used or manipulated, Paul Goodwin touches on topics including health, politics and crime, using a wealth of examples and accessible explanations to set the maths straight.
Product information
Full publisher description
Some people fear and mistrust numbers. Others want to use them for everything. After a long career as a statistician, Paul Goodwin has learned the hard way that the ones who want to use them for everything are a very good reason for the rest of us to fear and mistrust them. Something Doesn't Add Up is a fieldguide to the numbers that rule our world, even though they don't make sense.
Wry, witty and humane, Goodwin explains mathematical subtleties so painlessly that you hardly need to think about numbers at all. He demonstrates how statistics that are meant to make life simpler often make it simpler than it actually is, but also reveals some of the ways we really can use maths to make better decisions. Enter the world of fitness tracking, the history of IQ testing, China's social credit system, Effective Altruism, and learn how someone should have noticed that Harold Shipman was killing his patients years before they actually did. In the right hands, maths is a useful tool. It's just a pity there are so many of the wrong hands about.
Wry, witty and humane, Goodwin explains mathematical subtleties so painlessly that you hardly need to think about numbers at all. He demonstrates how statistics that are meant to make life simpler often make it simpler than it actually is, but also reveals some of the ways we really can use maths to make better decisions. Enter the world of fitness tracking, the history of IQ testing, China's social credit system, Effective Altruism, and learn how someone should have noticed that Harold Shipman was killing his patients years before they actually did. In the right hands, maths is a useful tool. It's just a pity there are so many of the wrong hands about.
Reasons to shop at Postscript
Independent bookseller
Established in 1987, we’ve been sharing reading recommendations for decades.
Books you won’t find elsewhere
Discover new authors among our frequently changing bookshelves, along with almost-forgotten gems and a wealth of unusual titles you won’t find elsewhere.
Eco-friendly packaging
Orders are carefully packed in recyclable cardboard boxes, eco-friendly bubble wrap and solvent-free labels, paper and tape.
Condition and price
All our books are new, unused and unread, and they’re all up to 75% off RRP.
FREE monthly catalogue
Featuring over 400 handpicked titles, our unique catalogue is carefully curated and includes new and unusual titles, special features and exclusive collections.
Email newsletters
Our tailored newsletters are written by our booksellers, and we always highlight the books that we have talked about most in the Postscript office.
Footnotes blog
Some books spark ideas and conversations that our catalogue can’t contain – our Footnotes blog offers a deeper dive into a wealth of topics to inspire further reading.
Aftercare
We are all serious book people and we understand the value of reading. This is why we package our books so carefully and employ a helpful in-house customer services team to promptly resolve any queries you may have.
Delivery information
UK
Free UK standard delivery on all online orders over £25
Unlimited books in one delivery charge:
- • Standard: £3.20 (3-5 working days)
- • Click & Collect: £3.20 (3-5 working days)
- • Next Day (orders must be placed before 1pm, Monday–Friday): £4.50
- • Royal Mail Tracked48: £5.50 (2-4 working days)
Highlands and Islands delivery: standard delivery only (5-7 working days)
Overseas
All orders: delivery costs for orders outside the UK are based on country of destination and product weight.
You can view your overseas delivery cost using the Summary section within the Basket.
For more information on delivery/overseas orders please refer to our Delivery Information.
product
https://www.psbooks.co.uk/something-doesn-t-add-up
539732
Something Doesn’t Add Up
https://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/3/539732_media-0.jpg
5.99
5.99
GBP
InStock
/Non-Fiction/Categories/Science & Nature/Maths & Science
/Non-Fiction/Categories/Science & Nature
Through algorithms, league tables and targets, numbers play a significant role in our lives. In his wry account of the ways in which statistics can be used or manipulated, Paul Goodwin touches on topics including health, politics and crime, using a wealth of examples and accessible explanations to set the maths straight.
Paperback
0
0
https://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/3/539732_media-1.jpg
https://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/3/539732_media-2.jpg
add-to-cart
rrp_info:£9.99
productId:168183
bic_code:PBW, VSP
PBW, VSP
£9.99
Paul Goodwin
General
197x128mm
Profile
No
Paperback
