Introduction to Resampling Statistics Using Statistics101: Solving Statistics Problems with Simulation

by John Grosberg

Is statistics difficult for you? One reason it is difficult for most people is the level of mathematics required by the typical statistics courses. This book sidesteps the math, and substitutes simulation to arrive at answers. The simulation method is a good way to introduce students to statistical concepts, but it is also a useful tool for the professional. It can be used to solve problems that have no standard mathematical solution. A simple example of using simulation to compute a probability would be to actually toss a coin 1000 times and record the ratio of heads to the number of tosses. Simulation can also be used to solve statistics problems. Although manual simulation produces valid answers it is costly in time and effort. The solution is to use the computer to perform the simulations. This book introduces the reader to the Resampling Stats simulation language (originally developed by Julian Simon and Peter Bruce, but here greatly expanded) and the computer program, Statistics101, that hosts the language. The Statistics101 computer program, which will run on any platform that has Java installed, is available free of charge as a separate online download from the author's website. The book is divided into three main sections. The first part, "Solving Probability and Statistics Problems with Statistics101", shows how to use the language and the program to solve probability and statistics problems. Among other topics, this section introduces and gives examples of the Bootstrap technique. The second part, "Language Basics", describes in detail the features of the extended Resampling Stats language. The third part, "Special Techniques", describes several programming techniques that are useful for some common problems. The appendices include a glossary, a complete listing of all the commands and supplied subroutines with a one-line description of each, and a categorized listing of all the commands and subroutines.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2015