• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • My Store
  • Glossary
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

Statistics By Jim

Making statistics intuitive

  • Graphs
  • Basics
  • Hypothesis Testing
  • Regression
  • ANOVA
  • Probability
  • Time Series
  • Fun

About Me

I’m Jim Frost, and I have extensive experience in academic research and consulting projects. In addition to my statistics website, I am a regular columnist for the American Society of Quality’s Statistics Digest. Additionally, my most recent journal publication as a coauthor is The Neutral Gas Properties of Extremely Isolated Early-Type Galaxies III (2019) for the American Astronomical Society (abstract).

I’ve been the “data/stat guy” for research projects that range from osteoporosis prevention to analysis of online user behavior. My role has been to design the proper research settings, collect a large amount of valid measurements, and figure out what it all means. Typically, I’m the first person on the project to learn about new findings while interpreting the results of the statistical analysis. Even if the findings are not newsworthy, that thrill of discovery is an awesome job perk!

I love statistics and analyzing data! I’ve been performing statistical analysis on-the-job for 20 years and helping people learn statistics for over ten years at a statistical software company. I love talking and writing about statistics.

My Approach to Teaching Statistics

Contour plot that displays probabilities of membership by the two predictors.
This contour plot displays the probability of membership in the House Freedom Caucus by Establishmentarianism and Conservativeness.

I want to help you learn statistics. But, I’m not talking about learning all the equations. Don’t get me wrong. Equations are necessary. Equations are the framework that makes the magic, but the truly fascinating aspects are what it all means. I want you to learn the true essence of statistics. I’ll help you intuitively understand statistics by focusing on concepts and graphs. Although, there might be a few equations!

I’ve spent over a decade working at a major statistical software company. When you work on research projects, you generally use a regular group of statistical analyses. However, when you work at a statistical software company, you need to know of all the analyses that are in the software! I helped people use our software to gain insights and maximize the value of their own data regardless of their field.

While working at the statistical software company, I learned how to present statistics in a manner that makes statistics more intuitive. I’ll be writing about my experiences and useful information about statistics. However, I’ll focus on teaching the concepts in an intuitive way and deemphasize the formulas. After all, you use statistical software so you don’t have to worry about the formulas and instead focus on understanding the results.

Statistics is an Amazing Field!

Bubbleblot that shows Earth-like planets by mass and length of year
This bubbleplot shows Earth-like planets by mass and length of year. The blue bubble is Earth.

Statistics is the field of learning from data. That’s amazing. It gets to the very essence of discovery. Statistics facilitates the creation of new knowledge. Bit by bit, we push back the frontier of what is known. That is what I want to teach you! The goal of my website is to help you to see statistics through my eyes―as a key that can unlock discoveries that are in your data.

The best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone’s backyard.—John Tukey

I enthusiastically agree! If you have an inquisitive mind, statistical knowledge, and data, the potential is boundless. You can play in a broad range of intriguing backyards!

That interface between a muddled reality and obtaining orderly, valid data is an exciting place. This place ties together the lofty goals of scientists to the nitty-gritty nature of the real world. It’s an interaction that I’ve written about extensively on my blog, and I plan to continue to do so. It’s where the rubber meets the road.

One of the coolest things about the statistical analysis is that it provides you with a toolkit for exploring the unknown. Christopher Columbus needed many tools to navigate to the New World and make his discoveries. Statistics are the equivalent tools for the scientific explorer because they help you navigate the sea of data that you collect.

Why You Need to Understand Statistics

Fitted line plot that displays a cubic relationship between approval ratings and historian's rank.
Is this a good regression model? Read my post about adjusted and predicted R-squared to find out!

The world is becoming a progressively data-driven place, and to draw trustworthy conclusions, you must analyze your data properly. It’s surprisingly easy to make a costly mistake. Even if you’re not performing your own studies, you’ll undoubtedly see statistical analyses conducted by others. Can you trust their results or do they have their own agenda?

Just like there were many wrong ways for Columbus to use his tools, things can go awry with statistical analyses. I’m going to teach you how to use the tools correctly, to draw the proper conclusions, and to recognize the conclusions that should make you wary!

You’ll be increasingly thankful for these tools when you see a worksheet filled with numbers and you’re responsible for telling everyone what it all means.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Statistics

Primary Sidebar

Meet Jim

I’ll help you intuitively understand statistics by focusing on concepts and using plain English so you can concentrate on understanding your results.

Read More...

Buy My Introduction to Statistics Book!

Cover of my Introduction to Statistics: An Intuitive Guide ebook.

Buy My Hypothesis Testing Book!

Cover image of my Hypothesis Testing: An Intuitive Guide ebook.

Buy My Regression Book!

Cover for my ebook, Regression Analysis: An Intuitive Guide for Using and Interpreting Linear Models.

Subscribe by Email

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.

    I won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    Follow Me

    • FacebookFacebook
    • RSS FeedRSS Feed
    • TwitterTwitter

    Top Posts

    • How to Interpret P-values and Coefficients in Regression Analysis
    • How To Interpret R-squared in Regression Analysis
    • Multicollinearity in Regression Analysis: Problems, Detection, and Solutions
    • Mean, Median, and Mode: Measures of Central Tendency
    • How to Find the P value: Process and Calculations
    • How to do t-Tests in Excel
    • Z-table
    • Choosing the Correct Type of Regression Analysis
    • One-Tailed and Two-Tailed Hypothesis Tests Explained
    • How to Interpret the F-test of Overall Significance in Regression Analysis

    Recent Posts

    • Slope Intercept Form of Linear Equations: A Guide
    • Population vs Sample: Uses and Examples
    • How to Calculate a Percentage
    • Control Chart: Uses, Example, and Types
    • Monte Carlo Simulation: Make Better Decisions
    • Principal Component Analysis Guide & Example

    Recent Comments

    • Jim Frost on Monte Carlo Simulation: Make Better Decisions
    • Gilberto on Monte Carlo Simulation: Make Better Decisions
    • Sultan Mahmood on Linear Regression Equation Explained
    • Sanjay Kumar P on What is the Mean and How to Find It: Definition & Formula
    • Dave on Control Variables: Definition, Uses & Examples

    Copyright © 2023 · Jim Frost · Privacy Policy