Partial truths : how fractions distort our thinking
(Book)
Author
Published
New York : Columbia University Press, [2022].
Format
Book
Status
John & Judy Gay Library - Adult Nonfiction
153.42 ZIM
1 available
153.42 ZIM
1 available
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
John & Judy Gay Library - Adult Nonfiction | 153.42 ZIM | On Shelf |
More Details
Published
New York : Columbia University Press, [2022].
Physical Desc
x, 244 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-235) and index.
Description
"A fast-chain once tried to compete with McDonald's quarter-pounder by introducing a third-pound hamburger--only for it to flop when consumers thought a third pound was less than a quarter pound because three is less than four. Separately, a rash of suicides by teenagers who played Dungeons and Dragons caused a panic in parents and the media. They thought D&D was causing teenage suicides--when in fact teenage D&D players died by suicide at a much lower rate than the national average. Errors of this type can be found from antiquity to the present, from the Peloponnesian War to the COVID-19 pandemic. How and why do we keep falling into these traps? James C. Zimring argues that many of the mistakes that the human mind consistently makes boil down to misperceiving fractions. We see slews of statistics that are essentially fractions, such as percentages, probabilities, frequencies, and rates, and we tend to misinterpret them. Sometimes bad actors manipulate us by cherry-picking data or distorting how information is presented; other times, sloppy communicators inadvertently mislead us. In many cases, we fool ourselves and have only our own minds to blame. Zimring also explores the counterintuitive reason that these flaws might benefit us, demonstrating that individual error can be highly advantageous to problem solving by groups. Blending key scientific research in cognitive psychology with accessible real-life examples, Partial Truths helps readers spot the fallacies lurking in everyday information, from politics to the criminal justice system, from religion to science, from business strategies to New Age culture."--Provided by publisher.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Zimring, J. C. (2022). Partial truths: how fractions distort our thinking . Columbia University Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Zimring, James C., 1970-. 2022. Partial Truths: How Fractions Distort Our Thinking. Columbia University Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Zimring, James C., 1970-. Partial Truths: How Fractions Distort Our Thinking Columbia University Press, 2022.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Zimring, James C. Partial Truths: How Fractions Distort Our Thinking Columbia University Press, 2022.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.