Statistics can be a very daunting task when first approaching it.  Many of the concepts and ideas are completely new for a student or prospective learner. Not only that, but the material itself is extremely deep and can be further studied at an almost infinite rate to find a more detailed and precise result.  There is no book I could recommend more to you for statistics help and assistance than Statistics For Dummies.  Currently, as of the writing of this article, the book is extremely affordable and available at every major bookstore and online retailer for under $12.

            The book, Statistics For Dummies, is written by Deborah J. Rumsey who is a PhD and a current professor at the Ohio State University.  At Ohio State she teaches Mathematics and Statistical Learning.  She has written several novels for statistics and continues to be a prominent force in its advancement.  Her works include: Statistics For Dummies, Statistics Workbook For Dummies, Probability For Dummies, and Statistics II for Dummies. 

            Deborah Rumsey is known for her light and fun way of looking at such a difficult to grasp concept.  She really does make it fun and easy to learn the material.  She starts with the concept and statistical idea, moves into the techniques for solving the dilemma, and then shows all formulas and calculations.  Tons and tons of examples are provided to guide your studies even further.  The book focuses on graphs, probability, confidence levels, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, statistical formulas, advanced algebra concepts, and a lot more.  For only $12 it really can’t be beat when compared to a full college course’s price.

            Statistics For Dummies has 21 chapters starting with a basic overview of statistics and becomes increasingly more deep in material until ending with solving hypothesis testing and forming conclusions.  I personally find chapters 5-10 the most important of the entire text.  Chapter 5 is the calculations of mean, median, and mode.  These are basically the essentials of statistics.  Chapter 6 is evaluating graphs and how to describe a graph in detail.  Chapter 7 is how to form your own graphs using your numbers.  Chapter 8 is where we really start to get into the bulk of statistics, and I’m sure its where most people need the most help.  From chapters 8-10 Rumsey professes the ways of analyzing a null hypothesis, solving for a conclusion using Z tests or T tests, and finally graphing the results.      
         
            My only issue with this book is that it tends to be very simple examples.  Some do go into very heavy detail, especially the t-distribution chapter, but some could use further explanation.  I found the chapter on Sampling Distributions and the Central Limit Theorem to be a difficult read to get through.  It may just be me also, but I feel that Part VI: The Part of Tens with chapter 20 and 21 is unnecessary for the reader and not required. 

            Regardless of its minor flaws, I would completely recommend Statistics For Dummies for all your statistics help needs.  It is exactly the same material as a first semester statistics course at any accredited university.  This book could be used easily for both learning the material and reinforcing algebra and statistics.

Why Use Statistics For Dummies
Four Ways To Be Better At Statistics
Types Of Statistics
Types Of Algebra
How Do You Solve Equations
Where Do You Buy Statistics For Dummies The Book
How To Do Elementary Algebra