October 8, 2012

Stat of the Week Competition: October 6 – 12 2012

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Each week, we would like to invite readers of Stats Chat to submit nominations for our Stat of the Week competition and be in with the chance to win an iTunes voucher.

Here’s how it works:

  • Anyone may add a comment on this post to nominate their Stat of the Week candidate before midday Friday October 12 2012.
  • Statistics can be bad, exemplary or fascinating.
  • The statistic must be in the NZ media during the period of October 6 – 12 2012 inclusive.
  • Quote the statistic, when and where it was published and tell us why it should be our Stat of the Week.

Next Monday at midday we’ll announce the winner of this week’s Stat of the Week competition, and start a new one.

The fine print:

  • Judging will be conducted by the blog moderator in liaison with staff at the Department of Statistics, The University of Auckland.
  • The judges’ decision will be final.
  • The judges can decide not to award a prize if they do not believe a suitable statistic has been posted in the preceeding week.
  • Only the first nomination of any individual example of a statistic used in the NZ media will qualify for the competition.
  • Individual posts on Stats Chat are just the opinions of their authors, who can criticise anyone who they feel deserves it, but the Stat of the Week award involves the Department of Statistics more officially. For that reason, we will not award Stat of the Week for a statistic coming from anyone at the University of Auckland outside the Statistics department. You can still nominate and discuss them, but the nomination won’t be eligible for the prize.
  • Employees (other than student employees) of the Statistics department at the University of Auckland are not eligible to win.
  • The person posting the winning entry will receive a $20 iTunes voucher.
  • The blog moderator will contact the winner via their notified email address and advise the details of the $20 iTunes voucher to that same email address.
  • The competition will commence Monday 8 August 2011 and continue until cancellation is notified on the blog.
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Rachel Cunliffe is the co-director of CensusAtSchool and currently consults for the Department of Statistics. Her interests include statistical literacy, social media and blogging. See all posts by Rachel Cunliffe »

Nominations

  • avatar
    Mark Runge

    Statistic: TechRepublic reports that Internet Explorer is the safest browser ever.

    In fact the reporter seems to have done a good job – even including a link to the report.

    I have no qualm with the summary but the graph shows a pie chart for “Tested Products Overall Malware Block Rate”. The key problem is that their pie implies that the block rate adds up. Obviously an attempt at re-jigging the report’s graph (page 5 of the report). The malware performance should be shown as a bar chart or other comparative chart rather than one that adds up.
    Source: TechRepublic
    Date: October 5, 2012

    Perhaps more about representing statistics – comparative versus cumulative should not be confused and risks confusing the reader.

    Sometimes it is ok to use the same format as the source!

    12 years ago

  • avatar
    Andrew Mardon

    Statistic: Drum roll, please. The higher a country’s chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns per capita, according to findings released in the New England Journal of Medicine.

    …

    It’s not the first time scientists have found correlations that seem to defy all logic – and indeed may.
    Source: Stuff
    Date: 11/10/12

    The entire article choose not to explain the distinction between correlation and causation despite the attempts of the researcher to explain that perhaps higher chocolate production and higher nobel PP winners may be the symptom of a common cause.

    12 years ago

  • avatar
    Doug Sheppard

    Statistic: Have a look at this
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/7813410/Food-and-learning-connection-shot-down

    The whole thing as reported seems bogus.
    Source: stuff
    Date: 14/10/12

    It seems the gave 400 kid from lo decile school and measured improvements in reading etc.
    There didn’t appear to have any control for if the kids had breakfast already- only an assumption that if they were in low deciiles they would be hungary.

    12 years ago