9780716741060
The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science In The Twentieth Century - David Salsburg
W. H. Freeman (2001)
In Collection
#3375

Read It:
Yes
Science - Statistical methods

Science is inextricably linked with mathematics. Statistician David Salsburg examines the development of ever-more-powerful statistical methods for determining scientific truth in The Lady Tasting Tea, a series of historical and biographical sketches that illuminates without alienating the mathematically timid. Salsburg, who has worked in academia and industry and has met many of the major players he writes about, shares his subjects' enthusiasm for problem solving and deep thinking. This drives his prose, but never at the expense of the reader; if anything, the author has taken pains to eliminate esoterica and ephemera from his stories. This might frustrate a few number-head readers, but the abundant notes and references should keep them happy in the library for weeks after reading the book. Ultimately, the various tales herein are unified in a single theme: the conversion of science from observational natural history into rigorously defined statistical models of data collection and analysis. This process, usually only implicit in studies of scientific methods and history, is especially important now that we seem to be reaching the point of diminishing returns and are looking for new paradigms of scientific investigation. The Lady Tasting Tea will appeal to a broad audience of scientifically literate readers, reminding them of the humanity underlying the work. --Rob Lightner

Product Details
LoC Classification Q175 .S2345 2001
Dewey 001.4220904
Format Hardcover
Cover Price 16,99 €
No. of Pages 352
Height x Width 220 mm
Personal Details
Links Amazon
Library of Congress