[TeenTalk] Data, Statistics and the Truth with David Spiegelhalter

DAVID SPIEGELHALTER
DATA, STATISTICS AND THE TRUTH

TeenTalk / Tues 7 May / 5.00 - 6.30 pm

Ever thought of maths as a subject confined to the classroom? Think again. From politics to medicine, and from sport to journalism, people appeal to numbers to back up arguments and swing decisions one way or the other. Mathematician David Spiegelhalter is interested in how these numbers add up, and whether our decisions are really being based on reliable figures.

Learn about how statistics can be used to manipulate arguments and hide the truth, as David explains how a more responsible use of mathematical evidence could lead to better choices being made across society.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

David Spiegelhalter is Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk, and as Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, he works to improve the way in which risk and statistical evidence are taught and discussed in society. He gives many presentations to schools and others, advises organisations on risk communication, and is a regular commentator on risk issues. He presented the BBC4 documentaries Tails you Win: the Science of Chance and the award-winning Climate Change by Numbers. He was an advisor to the Department for Education on the GCSE Mathematics curriculum, and was elected FRS in 2005, awarded an OBE in 2006, and was knighted in 2014 for services to medical statistics. 

GOOD READS

• How to Tell the Truth with Statistics: The Art of Learning from Data (2019)
• Teaching Probability (2016)

• Sex by Numbers (2015)

• The Norm Chronicles: Stories and Numbers about Danger and Death (2013)