Understandable Statistics: Concepts and Methods

Understandable Statistics is a thorough, yet approachable statistics text. Designed to help students overcome their apprehension about statistics, the text provides guidance and informal advice showing students the links between statistics and their everyday lives. To reinforce this approach, the book integrates real-life data selected from a variety of sources including journals, periodicals, newspapers and the Internet. The use of graphing calculators, Excel, Minitab and SPSS is covered, but not required. A set of technology resources accompanying the Eighth Edition, designed to provide reinforcement for struggling students, includes a market-leading video and DVD series, interactive lessons, and simulations.

• Procedures, brief summary outlines, review the basic assumptions and statistical methods of each section.
• Solutions and key-steps to odd-numbered problems reflect the steps shown in the procedures.
• Expand Your Knowledge problems challenge students to explore and expand upon basic concepts presented in the text.
• Interactive lessons, available in Eduspace online learning environment, combine animation, voice instruction, video, and other elements to illustrate important statistical concepts.
• e-Book (electronic version of the text) provides an enhanced learning environment that reinforces concepts through the use of web links, interactive lessons, simulations, and video.
• Simulations (Java-based applets) allow students to manipulate data to simulate the effects of changes in the statistical environment.
• Technology Focus problems now include instructions for the SPSS statistical software package.
• Guided Exercises immediately following selected examples give students the opportunity to work with new concepts before they are presented in the text. Completely worked-out solutions beside each exercise give immediate reinforcement.
• Chapter Preview Questions ask the most pertinent questions that a student should be able to answer after reading the chapter material. Section numbers provided with the questions refer students to the relevant material in the text.
• Tech Notes! provide general tips on appropriate use of the TI-83 Plus, Minitab, SPSS, and Excel. They also incorporate display screens from each of these technologies to help students work through a statistical problem and better understand the solution. Denoted by an icon, Tech Notes appears in section examples when appropriate.
• Data Highlights: Group Projects at the end of each chapter give students practice at the type of collaborative work they might be expected to do when they enter the workforce.
• Eduspace provides instructors with online courses and content. By pairing the widely recognized tools of Blackboard with high-quality, text-specific content from Houghton Mifflin, Eduspace makes it easy for instructors to create all or part of a course online. Homework exercises, quizzes, tests, tutorials, and supplemental study materials come ready to use and can be edited or supplemented with instructors' own material.
• The Instructor's Resource Manual features a complete version of the text with added teaching tips, pedagogical suggestions, and answers located in the margins next to the applicable exercises.

Charles Brase has more than 30 years of full-time teaching experience in mathematics and statistics. He taught at the University of Hawaii, Manoa Campus, for several years and at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, for more than 28 years. Charles received the Excellence in Teaching award from the University of Hawaii and the Faculty Member of the Year award from Regis University on two occasions. He earned degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and has a Ph.D. in Mathematics, an M.A. in Mathematics, and a B.A. in Physics.

Corrinne Pellillo Brase has taught at Hawaii Pacific College, Honolulu Community College, and Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado. She was also involved in the mathematics component of an equal opportunity program at the University of Colorado. Corrinne received the Faculty of the Year award from Arapahoe Community College. She earned degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and has an M.A. and B.A. in Mathematics.