DS280 - Intro to Statistics

Homework #3 - Readings on Graphs

The purpose of this assignment is to give you greater knowledge of how graphical techniques can be used and misused. The assignment is due at the beginning of class on Monday, February 15. Late papers are not accepted. The assignment is worth 30 points toward your homework/quiz grade.

I am providing you three articles on graphical techniques. They are:

1) "Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions". This is the first half of a chapter from the book Visual Explanations by Edward R. Tufte. (Tufte is the leading contemporary expert on graphical display of data. The Stetson library has several of his books, which are highly recommended for recreational reading.)

2) "How to Display Data Badly". This article is by Howard Wainer (a prominent statistician at Educational Testing Services, the company which does the SAT), and was published in The American Statistician, a leading professional journal.

3) "Worth a Thousand Words". From a recent issue of The Economist. The article discusses three historically important graphs, and includes full-color reproductions of those graphs. Rather than make color copies for everyone (we're having a budget crisis), I have put copies of those graphs on the website, here.

Your assignment is to read the three articles, and then write a short (three to five page total, typed single-spaced with double-spacing between paragraphs) summary of the content of the articles.