Wednesday, June 11, 2014
"Hilarious graphs reveal how statistics can create false connections"
After reading this, you may pause a bit the next time you hear of a study that "connects" one thing to another...
Victoria Woollaston has more on this story on the U.K. Daily Mail's website:
"Scientists are constantly on the lookout for links between data to try and prove certain theories - but just because two sets of statistics match up, it doesn't necessarily mean they're are closely tied. To prove a direct correlation does not always mean causation, a Harvard student has plotted various spurious links between randomly selected statistics. These include a correlation between sour cream and motorbike accidents, Nicolas Cage films and swimming pool deaths, and divorce rates and margarine."
