Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say.
~ William W. Watt
While the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will be up to, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant. So says the statistician.
~ Arthur Conan Doyle
Statistics may be defined as a body of methods for making wise decisions in the face of uncertainty.
~ W.A. Wallis
After all, facts are facts, and although we may quote one to another with a chuckle the words of the Wise Statesman, "Lies - damned lies - and statistics," still there are some easy figures the simplest must understand, and the astutest cannot wriggle out of.
~ Leonard Courtney
The theory of probabilities is at bottom nothing but common sense reduced to calculus.
~ Laplace
Some amusing comics: boyfriend,
correlation,
control,
conditional risk,
cell phones,
significant.
Ron Reeder -- History and Hobbies
(A brief History) I grew up in the thriving metropolis of Kuna, Idaho (5,382) where I attended elementary, middle, and high school. I received my bachelor’s degree in 2006 from Brigham Young University. Since then I have been pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics in the field of statistics at the University of Utah.
(Family) My wife, Andrea, and I got married in 2005. We enjoy cooking together and playing board games. Our son, Cameron, loves to swing and play with his toy trains. Our daughter, Madelyn, enjoys following Cameron around the house and playing with his toys.
(Hobbies) My hobbies include cycling, hang gliding, camping, hiking, and reading.
(Cycling) I ride a Motobecane Le Champion. Living at the mouth of Emigration Canyon makes that my most frequent ride. I also love to ride up Millcreek Canyon because it is so beautiful. For a flat ride, I will ride out to the Salt Lake Marina, and for a longer rider, I will ride down to Cabelas just south of the Point.
(Hang Gliding). I learned to hang glide with my dad and my brother, Jeremy, just before starting college in the summer of 2002. In training we flew a Wills Wing Falcon at Coyote Peak and King Mountain. We currently own a Wills Wing Supersport 143 which is faster and has a better glide ratio than the Falcon. I’ve flown the Supersport at Pickle Butte in Idaho and on both sides of the Point of the Mountain in Draper, Utah. Flying the north side of the Point is fun because there is a wide lift band that you can use to slope soar quite high. You can also land right next to the launch which means you don’t have to walk a long distance to get your glider back to your car. The south side of the Point is just a small hill—almost a training hill. Yet it is fun place to fly in the morning because you can do a touch-and-go, which means that you come in for a landing on the top of the hill, take a few steps and then launch back into the air.
(Camping) Sleeping in a tent and cooking over a fire makes for a very nice weekend. Beautiful scenery and a nearby stream make it perfect. Cameron likes camping with me. Madelyn hasn't ever come with us, but we'll change that next summer.
(Hiking) I picked this hobby up when I first moved to Utah. Provo and Salt Lake City are so close to the mountains that it is easy to find a beautiful day hike. There are so many beautiful places to hike in Utah, but one of my favorites is Mount Timpanogos which has a half-dozen or more waterfalls leading up to Emerald Lake.
(Reading) I enjoy a good story. Lately I’ve been reading mostly fantasy. I recently read the Mistborn trilogy, Elantris, The Name of the Wind, and Ender’s Game. If you enjoy fantasy, I highly recommend Mistborn.