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MISUSE OF STATISTICS
 
These pages contain a sampling of the information presented in the four hour course, Misuse of Statistics.   The course contains eight modules.

The course avoids detailed calculations requiring advanced mathematics, physics, or engineering knowledge.   The course is not intended to show how to do statistics, but how to use them (and how they can be misused).   For this reason the course can be taken by both engineers and managers.   The course is suitable for both experienced engineers and novice engineers.

 
 
COURSE APPROACH
 
This course examines eight rules of statistics: 		 
 
1.
 Avoid False Precision;
 
2.
 Beware The Base Rate Fallacy;
 
3.
 Correlation Is Not The Same As Causation;
 
4.
 Determining The Effect Of A Single Variable;
 
5.
 You Must Have Substantial Differences To See An Effect;
 
6.
 There Is Value In Longitudinal Studies;
 
7.

 Can Your Results Be Due To Chance? (this includes several exercises on sample size problems);
 
8.
 Only A Dose-Response Relationship Proves Cause and Effect.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
TIME
ITEM
  
 
0800 – 0830
 		  False Precision (19 pages)
 
0830 – 0900
 		  Base Rate Fallacy (15 pages)
 
0900 – 1000
 		  Modules 3 TO 6 (36 pages)
 
1000 – 1030
BREAK
 		 
 
1030 – 1100
 		  Differences From Chance (16 pages)
 
1100 – 1200
 		  Dose-Response (20 pages)
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