Customer Reviews

Stats: Modeling the World (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are teaching AP Statistics to a competent high school group, this book was written for you. Literally. It was written with the AP exam in mind. The second edition has even been changed largely with a view to reflecting the recent minor changes in that exam.

So the authors' terminology, their practice exercises, their equations, and -- most importantly -- the range and depth they marshal correspond exactly to the level students must master to score well on the AP Statistics exam.

Further, it has been very slickly brought off and is readable and entertaining. At least as much as possible, given that some tedium lies ahead for students who wish to land a 4 or 5 on said exam.

It goes without saying that neither the explanations nor the example exercises summon the specters of integration or differentiation, but some of the end-of-chapter exercises can be easily ratcheted up to this level by an imaginative instructor.

Some of the sidebar readings in some of the chapters, however, do anticipate mathematical statistics. But it's up to you how deeply you want to spell out the mathematical implications of these readings.

Since this book contains many questions that aren't answered except in materials available only to instructors, I wouldn't recommend it for self-study. It would probably prove too frustrating.

On that head, there are plenty and plenty of resources available for the instructor that chooses this book, such as the AP* Test Prep Workbook for Stats: Modeling the World, 2nd Edition and the highly useful Graphing Calculator Manual: Intro Stats: For the TI-83 Plus, TI-84 Plus, and TI-89.

Book has good analogies and humor but it seems to make concepts which are quite easy in other books quite complex in this one. I used this book in a undergraduate stats class and found myself reading and rereading pages to try to extract usable information which would fall within the class study guide. The reason the instructor developed the study guide was because the book was too much fluff and explanation. If you are majoring in studies that are heavily math oriented then you may like this, but if your are majoring in Psychology, Education or Social Sciences there are books(with SPSS) which are much much clearer and quite easy. After taking several research courses I still found I did not need half of the information in this book.KISS principle(Keep It Simple Stupid)

The book itself is good and relatively easy to understand. It is not a book that you can just learn statistics on your own with and it does help to have a teacher to guide you through but it is an easy read.

I purchased this book for a statistics course and also needed a software package called ActivStats. other book stores couple the two in a package but no where on this description did it say it included ActivStats. As a result, I purchased the software for $30 from Amazon as well. I received both of them and had two versions of ActivStats (it does come with this book) so had to send one back for barely a 1/3 refund because its software and because technically it was my mistake (even if Amazon did not mention the cd being included with the book).

This book is obviously tailored precisely for the AP exam, which I can appreciate. However, it could contain twice the amount of information it does in half of the amount of pages.

The overly long text makes frequent and painful attempts at humor (presumably to appeal to high school students like myself). Furthermore, simple concepts are described in meticulous detail with endless examples and trite analogies/jokes. This approach may work for some, but I hated it.

Taking notes in this textbook would be burdensome. However, the author (editor?) highlights any important concepts (a practice I abhor because it encourages me to skim assigned readings).

Pros: Well organized, a plethora of practice problems, terms lists/what can go wrong?
Cons: Overly long/drawn out, could easily be streamlined to increase efficiency, too casual/'funny', Highlighted concepts + chapter terms encourage imprecise readings

I tutor high school students in math and I had a student finally take AP Statistics. I bought the same book he would be using and read through it. This book is very well structured and actually fun to read. Granted I did not have to do any of the homework or prepare for the exams, so my experience may be atypical. But it seems like each chapter is not too long (12-15 pages, excluding problem sets). This makes it easy to complete one chapter in a single sit-down.

The examples the book uses to explain concepts are straight-forward and easy to follow, which helps in understanding. There are also "Just Checking" sections that help re-inforce what is being discussed, and contain simple questions that are not too difficult. It is a good way to build confidence in the reader.

There are also lots of fun and funny footnotes dispersed throughout the book, which provide a quick laugh from time to time. The book provides lots of relevant examples, and includes real-world people and situations that are very useful.

I recommend this book for learning or teaching a statistics class. Students should also enjoy it, if they take the time to read it.

Good book!

The book is great for an AP Stats class. Condition was excellent and the chapters are well thought out with diagrams that help student understanding. The reviews are well written and at the end of each chapter there are summary pages that do a fantastic job.

Brand new book in great condition-- used in AP high school stats and Cornell University Math 1710 stats. However, this book didn't come with a CD.

Great book-easy to follow. Authors have a funny sense of humor, which makes reading a bit easier. My professor even told the class its the easiest stats book he's ever read and he really likes the approach this book takes. Received on time and in great condition! Will do business again.

AP edition is teacher edition with even and odd answers
Exactly the same text!! so buy the cheapest one !

IF YOU WILL JUST CAREFULLY READ THIS BOOK IN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COURSE,,,,YOUR JOURNEY IN THE NEXT COLLEGE COURSE WILL BE SO MUCH EASIER..

TRUST ME,,,,I HAVE BEEN THERE...