Essential Statistics: Understanding and Using Data provides statistics students with the tools they need to understand what statistics are, how they work, why they are so important, and how they function in the world. With a focus on step-by-step instruction, Essential Statistics begins each section with a sharp focus on simplified main concepts of statistics, followed by expansions into how variation impacts each concept. Readers find this easy-to-read textbook welcoming because of its friendly, patient voice and style, and its reliance on real-world examples of where statistics fit in everyday life.

This book covers the basics of statistics and data, as well as more advanced topics, including:

•        Descriptive statistics, data displays, central location, and deviations

•        Discrete probability distributions

•        Continuous probably distributions

•        Confidence intervals

•        Hypothesis testing

•        Correlation and linear regression

Written by community college health faculty, Essential Statistics recognizes the need for down-to-earth math instruction and perfectly addresses this by giving students accessible, linear, and relevant context for why statistics are what its title suggests: essential.