This text helps students develop the fundamental lifelong skill of solving problems and interpreting solutions in real-world terms. One of our goals was to make this problem-solving approach accessible and easy to apply in many situations. We certainly want students to appreciate the beauty of statistics and connections to so many other disciplines. However, it is even more important for students to be able to apply problem-solving skills to a wide range of academic and career pursuits, including business, science and technology, and education.

The third edition presents long-term, universal skills for students taking a one- or two-semester introductory-level statistics course. Examples include guided, explanatory solutions that emphasize problem-solving techniques. Example solutions are presented in a numbered, step-by-step format. The generous collection and variety of exercises provide ample opportunity for practice and review in a variety of contexts. Concepts, examples, and exercises are presented from a practical, realistic perspective. Real and realistic data sets are current and relevant. The text uses mathematically correct notation and symbols and precise definitions to clearly illustrate statistical procedures and proper communication.

This text is designed to help students fully understand the steps in basic statistical arguments, emphasizing the importance of assumptions in order to follow valid arguments or identify inaccurate conclusions. Most importantly, students will understand the process of statistical inference. A four-step process (Claim, Experiment, Likelihood, Conclusion) is used throughout the text to present the smaller pieces of introductory statistics upon which the large, essential statistical inference puzzle is built.

Chapter 0 Why Study Statistics
Chapter 1 An Introduction to Statistics and Statistical Inference
Chapter 2 Tables and Graphs for Summarizing Data
Chapter 3 Numerical Summary Measures
Chapter 4 Probability
Chapter 5 Random Variables and Discrete Probability Distributions
Chapter 6 Continuous Probability Distributions
Chapter 7 Sampling Distributions
Chapter 8 Confidence Intervals Based on a Single Sample
Chapter 9 Hypothesis Tests Based on a Single Sample
Chapter 10 Confidence Intervals and Hypothesis Tests Based on Two Samples or Treatments
Chapter 11 The Analysis of Variance
Chapter 12 Correlation and Linear Regression
Chapter 13 Categorical Data and Frequency Tables
Chapter 14 Nonparametric Statistics