Three misleading graphs needed

[Changenow]

for my kid's high school statistics class.

Does anyone have some officially released offenses?

Thanks.

[IndyOp]

1. I have a misleading CNN / Gallup Poll graph about Terry Schiavo...

I use it in my Introductory Statistics class when I talk about lying with graphs.

Posted first:



Correct after complaints to:

[Changenow]

2. The teacher

specifically told the kids that graph was prohibited. Apparently the teacher believes the kids were passing it around, I think they all came up with it because it's the first Google hit.

Thanks.

[IndyOp]

5. So long as the teacher showed it to them, then I think it is okay to ask them to

dig more deeply. It is an excellent example of what happens when you let someone with no knowledge of basic principles use a powerful statistics/graphing package. You can put all kinds of numbers into Excel or Systat and click buttons to get pretty visuals and p-values, but it doesn't mean that any of visuals or p-values are legit.

[Goblinmonger]

8. I use that for my Communication Class

when we talk about crappy visual aids and lying with statistics. It does work really well.

Do you use the book How to Lie with Statistics? I love the book and am thinking about adding it next year (I teach high school, but the Comm class I teach is taught for college credit). Just wondering if someone uses it with success.

[IndyOp]

9. I haven't used "How to Lie with Statistics" - I think about assigning it from

time to time and then, somehow, never do. I am teaching stat again in January - maybe now would be a good time for me to review it and think how I might work it in.

:hi:

[Goblinmonger]

10. It's just so damned timeless.

I am just wondering how much "regular non-stats geeks" would get out of it. I think a lot.

[IndyOp]

3. Another example here with good talking points...

December 7, 2005
Orwell, Tufte, and the U.S. Treasury Department

http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/movabletype/archives/2005/12/orwell_tufte_an.html


And the mother lode is at Junkcharts -- years and years worth of misleading graphs - enough for a Master's Thesis: http://junkcharts.typepad.com/

[Changenow]

6. Thanks bunches! nt

[mudesi]

4. Here's one

http://imgred.com/
:evilgrin:

[IndyOp]

7. At Junkcharts, click on the links to the right of the page under

the heading "Categories" - happy hunting!

[baldguy]

11. Laffer curve

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve