Naked Series

Seeks to provide an engaging and comprehensive primer to economics that explains key concepts without technical jargon and using common-sense examples.

Seeks to provide an engaging and comprehensive primer to economics that explains key concepts without technical jargon and using common-sense examples.

Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called “sexy.” From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you’ll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in <em>Naked Statistics</em>, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more. For those who slept through Stats 101, this book is a lifesaver. Wheelan strips away the arcane and technical details and focuses on the underlying intuition that drives statistical analysis. He clarifies key concepts such as inference, correlation, and regression analysis, reveals how biased or careless parties can manipulate or misrepresent data, and shows us how brilliant and creative researchers are exploiting the valuable data from natural experiments to tackle thorny questions. And in Wheelan’s trademark style, there’s not a dull page in sight. You’ll encounter clever Schlitz Beer marketers leveraging basic probability, an International Sausage Festival illuminating the tenets of the central limit theorem, and a head-scratching choice from the famous game show <em>Let’s Make a Deal</em>—and you’ll come away with insights each time. With the wit, accessibility, and sheer fun that turned <em>Naked Economics</em> into a bestseller, Wheelan defies the odds yet again by bringing another essential, formerly unglamorous discipline to life.

Exploring the complexities of banking and monetary systems, the author delves into how these systems should ideally function while highlighting the chaos created by inflation and deflation. Through captivating narratives from diverse countries like North Korea, America, and China, he sheds light on the intricate workings behind the numbers in our bank accounts, making the topic accessible and engaging for readers.