An exercise in Statistics?

[Johnboy]

Sadly some people have to have feet amputated. Some only one foot but some both feet.
Statistically this means that a person with both feet is abnormal because statistics decrees that the normal is below two!
This analogy was used on the BBC World Programme the other night by a professor of statistics to explain conflicting statistics on Global Warming and the Carbon Footprint. It would appear that because people are starting from different points these are not statistics but merely projections which are presented as facts and not statistics at all. It was pointed out that this is causing great confusion.
Now I'm confused!
JB.

[Piglet]

there are statistics, statistics and damned lies.

[alan refail]

Johnboy

In which case anyone with 2, 1 or no legs is abnormal

[peter]

Professors can usually prove anything they want to.

There is an argument that all cats have three tails, something along the lines of no cat has two tails and every cat has one more tail than no cat.

does not work on the Isle of Man though.

[Johnboy]

Hi Peter,
What Alan says is so true because the actual amount of feet can still only be a smidgen off two. I have never seen anybody with that amount of feet!
I think that was the point the professor was trying to get at. The bit that hit home to me is that projections are being presented as facts when they are and never can be total truth.
These projections are being broadcast at the rate of several a day and each one gets worse as the day goes on. Quite frankly the whole subject is becoming a bore because I am now getting to the point when I cannot recognise what is the truth.
JB.

[strawberry tart]

but what the hey!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrGu9Ns-7gs

[KGAdmin]

Piglet - the actual quote is:

Lies, damned lies and statistics.

Was by Benjamin Disraeli


KGAdmin

[Piglet]

Clever clogs

[madasafish]

I'm afraid you have chosen a bad example. The number of legs or feet MUST be a whole number , So any statistic based on averages of a whole number must also be a whole number.

But I agree with that premise... particularly any statistic from our beloved Government.

[Johnboy]

Hi Madasafish,
Statistics is not my forte but can you please explain why must it be a whole number.
100 people with both feet and 9 people with 1 foot
gives a total of 209 feet shared between 109 people
gives the average which I thought would be the answer which is not a whole number. It obviously isn't but why isn't it?
I think I should stick to horticulture don't you.
BTW I am not disputing what you say and I really would like an explanation please because it intrigues me and leaves me baffled.
JB

[Elderflower]

Depends what you`re using for an average too. The arithmetic mean is found by dividing the total by the number of values but the modal average is the most common value.
Innit?

[Johnboy]

Hi Elderflower,
Are we now getting a little nearer the truth?
To me an average is exactly what it says. The mean.
Perhaps this is what the statistician means by all starting from different points and ending up scaring the s--t out of everybody with their falsehoods.
JB.

[peter]

Mean
Sum divide by count.

Mode
Most common value.

Median
Middle value.


Via Google.
"A median number is one at the numerical midpoint between the highest and lowest in a series, and, by extension, something in the middle: 7 is the median between 5 and 9. Mean means midpoint but is also an average of all the numbers in a series: of 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, the median is 7, but the mean or average is 7.4. Mode in statistical distributions is the number or value that occurs most frequently: in the series above, the mode or modal number is 8."

[Johnboy]

Hi Peter,
I had absolutely no idea that you were so fluent in Double-Dutch!
JB.

[Chantal]

That's what I thought JB until I read it for the fourth time and then it all made sense.

I'll look at statistics in a whole new light after this.