While you might be taking a course in the classroom, statistics always pop up in everyday life. On the news, on your TV, plastered on billboards you drive by on the freeway—statistics pop up in your life more than you think.
But before you can apply your knowledge to those real-world examples, you need to build a solid foundation of statistics in the classroom. That’s where this list comes in. You don’t want a textbook that makes statistics more confusing than it has to be. The following list includes the 10 best statistics textbooks on the market:
Elementary Statistics
If you’re looking for a statistics textbook chock full of real-life examples that show you exactly where statistics pop up, from opinion polls to self-driving cars. You’ll go through the fundamental topics of statistics while consistently adding more challenging material.
The author, Mario F. Triola, has more than 30 years of teaching experience in statistics, so you know that you’re in good hands. Past students have loved the layout in both formats and how easy-to-read the material is.
Elementary Statistics: A Step By Step Approach
This textbook is also authored by a statistics veteran. Allan G. Bluman has taught statistics in higher education for over 35 years. Like any good statistics textbook, you’ll cover topics like probability, frequency distributions, data description, confidence intervals, and more.
Many students claim that it is a dependable reference book, though some examples can get tricky. Luckily, you’ll have a professor to help you through any confusion!
Elementary Statistics: Picturing the World
Elementary Statistics prides itself on its in-depth, real-life examples and exercises. You’ll learn the fundamentals of statistics and have plenty of examples to back them up. The authors combine statistical theory and learning aids so that you can understand the toughest of concepts.
This textbook is divided into four units: Statistics (overview), Probability and Probability Distributions, Statistical Inference, and More Statistical Inference. The appendices are there for reference materials for easy access.
Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data (5th Edition)-Stand alone
While some students go on to become statisticians or use statistics regularly in their careers, you don’t have to have a statistics-centered job to benefit from knowing the materials. This textbook is all about using statistics to make informed decisions in real life.
To gain the most from this textbook, you’ll go through many examples and additional exercises for data analytics. All of that practice will come in handy when you encounter statistics in an everyday context.
Stats: Data and Models
by Richard De Veaux, Paul Velleman, David Bock
Math textbooks don’t have to be dense and boring. In fact, the authors of Stats: Data and Models aim to be the exact opposite. Through their conversational writing style, the authors turn statistics into an approachable, easy-to-understand topic.
They’ll use Think/Show/Tell examples, so you get the hang of stats in no time. Rather than trudging through the material, you’ll probably find yourself enjoying the writing.
Elementary Statistics Using Excel
This textbook brings all sorts of data to life. By working with data sets in Excel and accessing video and written examples, you’ll cover all your bases. The author, Marty Triola, uses precise data to help you practice and recognize the value of statistics in the real world.
You’ll find that this textbook is a well-rounded introduction to statistics for undergraduate students. The content itself along with the data you’ll work with will bring statistical concepts to life.
An Introduction to Statistical Learning: with Applications in R
by Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani
Interested in how statistics look in biology? How about finance? Or even astrophysics? This textbook will give you a taste of data sets in each of these fields and more.
You’ll still learn the general, fundamental topics of statistics, but you’ll also learn about how they apply to a wide range of disciplines. Aside from the data, there are also high-quality graphics to go along with written content.
Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data
As you can tell from the title, this textbook is a little different from the other options on this list. Thanks to a more humorous take on statistics, Naked Statistics is engaging from back to front.
You’ll get straightforward content without all the fluff. The author, Charles Wheelan, will clarify and elaborate on key concepts so that you aren’t left scratching your head. Prepare to meet your match in intellect and humor with this one.
Practical Statistics for Data Scientists: 50+ Essential Concepts Using R and Python
by Peter Bruce, Andrew Bruce, Peter Gedeck
Let’s say you’re interested in being a data scientist. Or you’re a student interested in learning about the data scientist perspective. This is the perfect textbook for you because it offers a deep dive into basic statistics from a data science perspective.
You’ll learn from a ton of examples in Python, which is where the “practical” part comes in. This textbook shows you exactly how to work with data while laying out a foundation of underlying concepts in statistics.
The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail–but Some Don’t
Now this author, Nate Silver, happens to be a big shot. After his near-perfect prediction of the 2008 and 2012 elections, Silver gained notoriety for his work in prediction. Basically, he’s famous for being really good at working with probability.
Thanks to his expertise and impressive resume, you can now hold the key to accurate predictions in your very hands. Silver goes through the science of prediction in real-life examples. By the end, you’ll know all about “big data” and what it means to predict in today’s world.
Conclusion
Whether you’re an undergraduate student taking Introduction to Statistics or you’re simply interested in the world of stats, there’s something on this list for you. You can easily find something that lays the groundwork with statistical theory and data sets to work with. Or you can read about more practical applications of statistics in the real world.
Whatever you choose, BookScouter will help you get the most bang for your buck.
