September 29, 2014

Stat of the Week Competition: September 27 – October 3 2014

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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 3 2014.
  • Statistics can be bad, exemplary or fascinating.
  • The statistic must be in the NZ media during the period of September 27 – October 3 2014 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
    Tommy Honey

    Statistic: 30 per cent of New Zealanders die from cardiovascular disease each year
    Source: NZ Herald
    Date: 2 October 2014

    In the Herald today, Holly Ryan tells us that “University of Auckland business student Laurelin Okan is developing monitoring technology to help save the lives of people with heart disease, including herself.
    Okan, who is 21, says she is developing the Heart Emergency App Recognition Technology (HEART) to try to help save some of the 30 per cent of New Zealanders who die from cardiovascular disease each year, and to try to improve heart rate monitoring for those at risk.”
    This is, of course, a fantastic idea and well done to Laurelin. However, the same can’t be said of Holly’s grammar – at least I hope it is a slip of the keyboard. The sentence “help save some of the 30 per cent of New Zealanders who die from cardiovascular disease each year” is of a concern. It is news to me that 30% of New Zealanders are dying every year from cardiovascular disease. At this rate (and excluding new births and arrivals) after 40 years there will only be 3 of us left. Perhaps Holly meant that of those who have cardiovascular disease, 30% die annually, and it is this cohort that Laurelin seeks to help.

    10 years ago

  • avatar
    Nick Iversen

    Statistic: Kiwi could be extinct in 50 years
    Source: New Zealand Herald
    Date: 1 Oct 2014

    This is the same problem as the elephant extinction projection that the Herald (see https://www.statschat.org.nz/2014/07/14/stat-of-the-week-competition-july-12-18-2014/).

    The Herald says that Kiwi are being predated at the rate of 27 per week. Since there are 70,000 kiwi left then at this rate they will be gone in 50 years.

    That’s pretty bad logic. It assumes that kiwi aren’t being born anymore. And anyway, even if you assume that kiwi aren’t being born then since kiwi life expectancy is 30 years they will be gone in 30, not 50.

    10 years ago