2018-01-31

[public] 548K views, 15.4K likes, 272 dislikes audio only

CrashCourse

Today we’re going to talk about numeracy - that is understanding numbers. From really really big numbers to really small numbers, it's difficult to comprehend information at this scale, but these are often the types of numbers we see most in statistics. So understanding how these numbers work, how to best visualize them, and how they affect our world can help us become better decision makers - from deciding if we should really worry about Ebola to helping improve fighter jets during World War II!

Episode Notes:

Tim Urban’s wonderful post about visualizing large numbers:

https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/11/from-1-to-1000000.html

Some of our reading that inspired this episode:

How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg

Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences by John Allen Paulos

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