Introduction to the Practice of Statistics

• Text Organization. The introduction to Chapter 1 has been rewritten with additional information about organizing data in a suitable format for analysis.  The log transformation has been moved from a “Beyond the Basics” section to an optional section within Chapter 2. Chapter 5 has been reorganized so the sampling distribution of the sample mean and the central limit theorem come before the sampling distribution of the sample proportion and binomial distribution, to allow more initial focus on understanding the sampling distribution of the mean.

• Exercises and Examples. Approximately 30% of the exercises are new and many are revised or updated.  To maintain the attractiveness of the examples to students, we have replaced or updated a large number of these.  A list of exercises and examples categorized by application area is provided.

• Use Your Knowledge Exercises. We have found the Use Your Knowledge Exercises to be a very useful learning tool.  Therefore, we have increased the number and variety of these exercises.  They are listed, with page numbers, at the end of each section. 

• Design. A new design incorporates colorful, revised figures throughout to aid the students’ understanding of text material.  Photographs related to chapter examples and exercises make connections to real-life applications and provide a visual context for topics.