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The Numbers Game: The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News, in Politics, and in Life by Michael Blastland and Andrew Dilnot

New Book Shelf QA 141.15 .B535 2009

Americans are assaulted by numbers, whether it's the latest political poll or the most recent clinical study on caffeine. But what do these numbers really mean and are they communicating a categorical truth? One strategy, commonly used by those of us on better terms with words than numbers, is to ignore the world of digits altogether. A better approach,though, is to overcome one’s natural tendency to be intimidated by numbers.

The Numbers Game shows us how much we already know, and gives practical ways to use our knowledge to become better consumers of the media. In each concise chapter, the authors take on a different theme—such as size, chance, averages, targets, risk, measurement, and data—and present it as a memorable and entertaining story.

Check out The Numbers Game: The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News, in Politics, and in Life , available now in the library.