Statistics and Economics

I finished Naked Statistics by Charles Wheelan this week. I'd read another book by Wheelan before, Naked Economics, and they both have earned a place in my top ten favorite books.

I'm more of a biology person in general, but Wheelan's two books have made me like statistics and economics almost as much as I like learning about disease or cell structure.

Wheelan's sense of humor and his writing style make these "boring" sciences fun and relevant as they actually are when stripped of all the tedious ooze. I even laughed out loud a few times while reading them on the train. That got some strange looks from the other passengers. (Why is that girl laughing while reading about economics?)

Here are some points Wheelan discusses in Naked Statistics and Naked Economics:

• Most people use statistics all the time, such as baseball fans figuring batting averages, yet they often turn around and think statistics are boring.
• When not used or understood properly, statistics can twist the truth, both intentionally and unintentionally
• Goods produced in sweatshops can be traded to help increase the wealth of the nation, and the wealthier the nation, the better the working conditions. Though people should never have to work in bad conditions, getting rid of sweatshops may not be the best way to improve people's welfare.
• Inflation is a terrible way to reduce national debt.

I would recommend both Naked Statistics and Naked Economics to anyone looking for a smart and entertaining read.

Science Notebooking

Today I was looking through my old science notebook from when I was about 12, which brought back memories of spending hours reading The Way We Work by David Macaulay and writing down my favorite parts of every chapter, complete with illustrations.

I love notebooks in general, take me to the notebook section of a bookstore and don't expect to get out for a few hours, but notebooks filled with nerdy science facts are my absolute favorite.

I still keep a science notebook today which I use to jot down anything science related that I want to remember. After a museum visit, a science class, or after reading a book about science I write a couple paragraphs about what I just learned. Even if I never read what I wrote again, just writing information down helps me remember it better.

Here are some photos and excerpts from some of my notebooks:

"Woven throughout the lungs are red blood cells which give them their pink color. (Unless you smoke. If you do they will be black.)" ~Lungs, age 12

"Each blood cell has antigens attached to the surface. That is how we tell what type of blood a person has."~ Blood, age 12

"Leukocytes, or red blood cells are globs. They have no shape.
They can move by sticking out one part of their body and pulling
the rest along."~Blood: The Tissue and Blood Disorders, age 12

"Today we visited the rare book collection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. We looked at books from around the 15th Century. The older the books were the nicer the paper, generally because older paper was made out of cotton and hemp which ages better than paper made out of trees" ~ written on 12/01/2014

"Lampreys are parasites and they bury themselves in their prey by scraping away at the victim's flesh" ~written 11/26/2014

Science notebooks are great proof that science is not bland and boring, but is colorful, fun, and beautiful.