How Statistics Can Be Used and Abused

Statistics can be very helpful in providing interpretation of reality but also can be used to distort our understanding. Discuss some of the ways in which statistics can be used or misused in different Areas of Knowledge to assist and mislead us, and how we can determine whether to accept the statistical evidence that is present to us. When you turn on the news, what do you hear? 1 in 10 people in South Africa have AIDS , …

…years (Beijing IT workers: 53 years, Shanghai journalists: 45 years)." This is both flawed mathematically and linguistically the sample population is too general, no mention of error margin, no survey methodology, no indication of where the funding of this survey came from. What is the definition of an "intellectual"? It could be referring someone that graduated elementary school or at the same time, it could be referring to someone with a PhD, therefore making this survey meaningless.