FOUNDATION STATISTICS

“I’m looking for a map of the cat, Sir”

This was a request from Richard Feynman (Nobel prize winning Physicist) to a Librarian for an anatomy book of the cat, mocking the sometimes futile effort that is made to remember a great many things that can be easily looked up, particularly at the expense of understanding. (Source: Surely you’re joking Mr Feynman, adventures of a curious character. W.W.Norton: NY. 2010)

This is a foundational course; it is not intended to turn you into a statistician. However, it is hoped that by the end, you will have an understanding of the key statistical concepts and ideas that will serve as a solid base for furthering your statistical education. It is also hoped that you will see statistics as a 'way of thinking' about science and a 'way of thinking' about evidence, a framework if you like, rather than as a collection of unconnected tools. In this regard, many elements of these materials are a targetted at improving statistical literacy - an important everyday skill.  

Many introductory courses for non-statisticians have historically focused on rote learning tests and methods, and because there are so many, this can only be achieved at the expense of a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts. In statistics, there are things to learn and understand, and things to look up; I hope that as you go through these materials, you will be able to recognise which elements can be easily looked up and which require some thinking and understanding. Our aim is to encourage thinking and understanding, as Richard Feynman alludes to with his request for a “map of the cat” in the quote above.