Statistics

about this course

Statistics is the proving ground of economic theory. A large share of the economic literature is devoted to comparing the predictions of theory to the data that we observe in practice. Statistics is also a very practical field. Businesses and governments frequently analyze data to understand market trends and make well-informed decisions.

With the growth of computing technology, we can now collect and analyze far more data than we ever could before. It's no longer sufficient for an accountant to add, subtract and compute the bottom line. Today, decisionmakers want to know "what the numbers mean." For that knowledge, they turn to statistics.

what you will learn

Statistics is an introductory course in data analysis, so you will learn how to organize numeric data and construct hypothesis tests. And as you do, you will learn how to distinguish between honest and dishonest uses of statistics.

Properly constructed statistics help us better understand the world we live in and help us make better decisions. Dishonestly constructed statistics trick the public into making bad decisions. A good understanding of statistics will help you recognize and avoid such deceit.