Customer Reviews

Computational Handbook of Statistics (4th Edition)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
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I cut my teeth in statistics with the first edition of this book in 1968, back before we had computer programs to do our statistics for us. And I have kept the second edition on my shelf since 1977. The book leads the reader step by step through the hand calculations for all the basic statistics, and for some relatively obscure ones as well (such as tests of the difference between two correlations or between two proportions). These days, students of statistics go right to their keyboards, and the statistics come out a millisecond or two later. But if you want your students to see how these things are actually calculated, there is no better reference than this.

What is the best way to learn and be secure in your learning -- work a problem through with expert guidance. This book provides clear advice about what statistics to choose for what problem and then provides small data sets. You can confirm your capability by working the problem step-by-step with the authors -- that includes understanding the meaning of your result and drawing an appropriate conclusion. Students love it. Me, too.

I cut my teeth in statistics with the first edition of this book in 1968, back before we had computer programs to do our statistics for us. And I have kept the second edition on my shelf since 1977. The book leads the reader step by step through the hand calculations for all the basic statistics, and for some relatively obscure ones as well (such as tests of the difference between two correlations or between two proportions). These days, students of statistics go right to their keyboards, and the statistics come out a millisecond or two later. But if you want your students to see how these things are actually calculated, there is no better reference than this.

Had orginally purchased an edition in 1974; carried it with me for 24 years and then lost track of it. Remembered how good it had served me. One of few places I could find a point-biserial correlation. Step-by-step approach extremely helpful. Examples useful.

Researchers have been spoiled by easy access to statistical software that does the heavy lifting of numerical analysis. Mostly this is a good thing, making possible larger, faster, and more complex computations. But there is also a downside. Our computational skills slowly atrophy. We don't realize this until we have to hand-check an important analysis or modify a standard procedure.

This volume is a hedge against such uncomfortable situations. It contains computational formulas and example calculations for many of the statistical tests used by researchers. In successive chapters we are shown how to calculate basic descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlations, and various post analysis comparison tests. The example problems are detailed, easy to understand, and possible to do with a simple calculator.

The book is recommended for anyone who needs to check under the hood of their black-box statistical analysis software. It is equally accessible to students learning statistical formulas for the first time and experienced researchers sharpening skills that have grown dull.

I used the 2nd edition as a reference while in grad school, and then when analyzing data in my professional life until my retirement in 1999. Not being a math whiz, I found this book to be clear and easy to understand and apply. I want to refer it to a younger student, but find the price of the current edition prohibitive. The grapes hang too high for a student with limited resources to purchase the copy as a supplement to their text book. That I regret.

An earlier edition of this book was recommended to me by my advisor when I was a PhD student and I have advised it to my students since then. An excellent how-to book that saves you from the intricacies of some analyses by leading you step-by-step. The instructions are helpful particularly when doing the analysis by some software may be more complicated than using a calculator (yes, there are indeed such situations that you are better off making the calculations yourself). I strongly recommend to researchers and students who need a simple guide that would provide a solution to their statistical needs.

This is a fantastic book and I highly, highly recommend it. The step by step approach is simple, and well explained. This book has helped me considerably more than other statistics text books I own and if you are having trouble it is well worth the buy.

I also used the first edition of this book. Several copies of it in fact. The first two editions were true handbooks that were never out of reach from my desk (unless "borrowed") for over thirty years. I cannot recommend this book too highly to anyone who will be using statistics. May it be as true a friend to you as it was to me.

(But did the price have to increase so drasticly?)