How To Lie With Charts

Taking a humorous approach, How to Lie with Charts shows you how to be both ethical and wise in your design and interpretation of graphics for business presentations.

A leading data visualization expert explores the negative—and positive—influences that charts have on our perception of truth. We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what if we don’t understand what we’re looking at? Social media has made charts, infographics, and diagrams ubiquitous—and easier to share than ever. We associate charts with science and reason; the flashy visuals are both appealing and persuasive. Pie charts, maps, bar and line graphs, and scatter plots (to name a few) can better inform us, revealing patterns and trends hidden behind the numbers we encounter in our lives. In short, good charts make us smarter—if we know how to read them. However, they can also lead us astray. Charts lie in a variety of ways—displaying incomplete or inaccurate data, suggesting misleading patterns, and concealing uncertainty—or are frequently misunderstood, such as the confusing cone of uncertainty maps shown on TV every hurricane season. To make matters worse, many of us are ill-equipped to interpret the visuals that politicians, journalists, advertisers, and even our employers present each day, enabling bad actors to easily manipulate them to promote their own agendas. In How Charts Lie, data visualization expert Alberto Cairo teaches us to not only spot the lies in deceptive visuals, but also to take advantage of good ones to understand complex stories. Public conversations are increasingly propelled by numbers, and to make sense of them we must be able to decode and use visual information. By examining contemporary examples ranging from election-result infographics to global GDP maps and box-office record charts, How Charts Lie demystifies an essential new literacy, one that will make us better equipped to navigate our data-driven world.

If you want to outsmart a crook, learn his tricks—Darrell Huff explains exactly how in the classic How to Lie with Statistics. From distorted graphs and biased samples to misleading averages, there are countless statistical dodges that lend cover to anyone with an ax to grind or a product to sell. With abundant examples and illustrations, Darrell Huff’s lively and engaging primer clarifies the basic principles of statistics and explains how they’re used to present information in honest and not-so-honest ways. Now even more indispensable in our data-driven world than it was when first published, How to Lie with Statistics is the book that generations of readers have relied on to keep from being fooled.

Sarah Palin, abortions, global warming and Usain Bolt. The CEO of Apple, 35 trillion gun deaths in 1995, Fox News and 193%. This book has got scandals galore! With 9 witty chapters taking you on a roller coaster tour of graphical lies, pictorial deceits and pie charts of mayhem, this might just be the most entertaining book about graphs you’ll read this year. Did you know that between them, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney enjoyed a total of 193% support from Republican candidates in the 2012 US primaries? It must be true – it was on a pie chart broadcast on Fox News. Did you also know that the number 34 is smaller than 14, and zero is much bigger than 22? Honest, it’s true, it was published in a respectable national newspaper after the 2017 UK General Election. There can’t have been any kind of misdirection here because they were all shown on a pie chart. In this astonishing book, award winning statistician and author Lee Baker uncovers how politicians, the press, corporations and other statistical conmen use graphs and charts to deceive their unwitting audience. Like how a shocking, and yet seemingly innocuous statement as “Every year since 1950, the number of children gunned down has doubled”, meant that there should have been at least 35 trillion gun deaths in 1995 alone, the year the quote was printed in a reputable journal. Or how an anti-abortion group made their point by trying to convince us all that 327,000 is actually a larger number than 935,573. Nice try, but no cigar – we weren’t born yesterday. In his trademark sardonic style, the author reveals the secrets of how the statistical hustlers use graphs and charts to manipulate and misrepresent for political or commercial gain – and often get away with it. Written as a layman’s guide to lying, cheating and deceiving with graphs, there’s not a dull page in sight! And it’s got elephants in it too… Discover the exciting world of lying with graphs and charts. Get this book, TODAY!

How to Lie with Numbers, Stats & Graphs is a book that contains two of our best sellers – and by far our funniest! In this eye-opening book, award-winning statistician and author Lee Baker uncovers the key tricks of the trade used by politicians, corporations and other statistical conmen to deceive, hoodwink and otherwise dupe the unwary. Blurb: Truth, Lies & Statistics Pirates, cats, Mexican lemons and North Carolina lawyers. Cheese consumption, margarine and drowning by falling out of fishing boats. This book has got it all. A roller coaster of a book in 8 witty chapters, this might just be the most entertaining statistics book you’ll read this year. Did you know that pirates caused global warming, and that a statistical lie gave rise to one of the fastest growing religions on the planet? Probably not – you might have missed the memo that day. Did you also know that organic food is the real cause of autism, and that Mexican lemons are a major cause of deaths on American roads? They’re true, honest – and this book has got the stats to prove it. In this eye-opening book, award winning statistician and author Lee Baker uncovers the key tricks of the trade used by politicians, corporations and other statistical conmen to deceive, hoodwink and otherwise dupe the unwary. Like how the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer attempted to persuade us that 5 lots of 10 make 150, or how the President of the United States tried to convince us that 420,000 is a larger number than 782,000. Nice try boys, but we were awake that day! In his trademark sardonic style, the author reveals the secrets of how the statistical hustlers manipulate and misrepresent data for political or commercial gain – and often get away with it. Blurb: Graphs Don't Lie Sarah Palin, abortions, global warming and Usain Bolt. The CEO of Apple, 35 trillion gun deaths in 1995, Fox News and 193%. This book has got scandals galore! With 9 witty chapters taking you on a roller coaster tour of graphical lies, pictorial deceits and pie charts of mayhem, this might just be the most entertaining book about graphs you’ll read this year. Did you know that between them, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney enjoyed a total of 193% support from Republican candidates in the 2012 US primaries? It must be true – it was on a pie chart broadcast on Fox News. Did you also know that the number 34 is smaller than 14, and zero is much bigger than 22? Honest, it’s true, it was published in a respectable national newspaper after the 2017 UK General Election. There can’t have been any kind of misdirection here because they were all shown on a pie chart. In this astonishing book, award winning statistician and author Lee Baker uncovers how politicians, the press, corporations and other statistical conmen use graphs and charts to deceive their unwitting audience. Like how a shocking, and yet seemingly innocuous statement as “Every year since 1950, the number of children gunned down has doubled”, meant that there should have been at least 35 trillion gun deaths in 1995 alone, the year the quote was printed in a reputable journal. Or how an anti-abortion group made their point by trying to convince us all that 327,000 is actually a larger number than 935,573. Nice try, but no cigar – we weren’t born yesterday. In his trademark sardonic style, the author reveals the secrets of how the statistical hustlers use graphs and charts to manipulate and misrepresent for political or commercial gain – and often get away with it. Written as a layman’s guide to lying, cheating and deceiving with data, statistics and graphs, in this book there’s not a dull page in sight! And there are elephants too… Discover the exciting world of lying with data, statistics and graphs. Get this book, TODAY!

Tell your story and show it with data, using free and easy-to-learn tools on the web. This introductory book teaches you how to design interactive charts and customized maps for your website, beginning with simple drag-and-drop tools such as Google Sheets, Datawrapper, and Tableau Public. You'll also gradually learn how to edit open source code templates like Chart.js, Highcharts, and Leaflet on GitHub. Hands-On Data Visualization for All takes you step-by-step through tutorials, real-world examples, and online resources. This hands-on resource is ideal for students, nonprofit organizations, small business owners, local governments, journalists, academics, and anyone who wants to take data out of spreadsheets and turn it into lively interactive stories. No coding experience is required. Build interactive charts and maps and embed them in your website Understand the principles for designing effective charts and maps Learn key data visualization concepts to help you choose the right tools Convert and transform tabular and spatial data to tell your data story Edit and host Chart.js, Highcharts, and Leaflet map code templates on GitHub Learn how to detect bias in charts and maps produced by others

Unlike any time before in our lives, we have access to vast amounts of free information. With the right tools, we can start to make sense of all this data to see patterns and trends that would otherwise be invisible to us. By transforming numbers into graphical shapes, we allow readers to understand the stories those numbers hide. In this practical introduction to understanding and using information graphics, you’ll learn how to use data visualizations as tools to see beyond lists of numbers and variables and achieve new insights into the complex world around us. Regardless of the kind of data you’re working with–business, science, politics, sports, or even your own personal finances–this book will show you how to use statistical charts, maps, and explanation diagrams to spot the stories in the data and learn new things from it. You’ll also get to peek into the creative process of some of the world’s most talented designers and visual journalists, including Condé Nast Traveler’s John Grimwade , National Geographic Magazine’s Fernando Baptista, The New York Times’ Steve Duenes, The Washington Post’s Hannah Fairfield, Hans Rosling of the Gapminder Foundation, Stanford’s Geoff McGhee, and European superstars Moritz Stefaner, Jan Willem Tulp, Stefanie Posavec, and Gregor Aisch. The book also includes a DVD-ROM containing over 90 minutes of video lessons that expand on core concepts explained within the book and includes even more inspirational information graphics from the world’s leading designers. The first book to offer a broad, hands-on introduction to information graphics and visualization, The Functional Art reveals: • Why data visualization should be thought of as “functional art” rather than fine art • How to use color, type, and other graphic tools to make your information graphics more effective, not just better looking • The science of how our brains perceive and remember information ¿ • Best practices for creating interactive information graphics • A comprehensive look at the creative process behind successful information graphics ¿ • An extensive gallery of inspirational work from the world’s top designers and visual artists On the DVD-ROM: In this introductory video course on information graphics, Alberto Cairo goes into greater detail with even more visual examples of how to create effective information graphics that function as practical tools for aiding perception. You’ll learn how to: incorporate basic design principles in your visualizations, create simple interfaces for interactive graphics, and choose the appropriate type of graphic forms for your data. Cairo also deconstructs successful information graphics from The New York Times and National Geographic magazine with sketches and images not shown in the book. All of Peachpit's eBooks contain the same content as the print edition. You will find a link in the last few pages of your eBook that directs you to the media files. Helpful tips: If you are able to search the book, search for "Where are the lesson files?" Go to the very last page of the book and scroll backwards. You will need a web-enabled device or computer in order to access the media files that accompany this ebook. Entering the URL supplied into a computer with web access will allow you to get to the files. Depending on your device, it is possible that your display settings will cut off part of the URL. To make sure this is not the case, try reducing your font size and turning your device to a landscape view. This should cause the full URL to appear.

No matter what your actual job title, you are—or soon will be—a data worker. Every day, at work, home, and school, we are bombarded with vast amounts of free data collected and shared by everyone and everything from our co-workers to our calorie counters. In this highly anticipated follow-up to The Functional Art—Alberto Cairo’s foundational guide to understanding information graphics and visualization—the respected data visualization professor explains in clear terms how to work with data, discover the stories hidden within, and share those stories with the world in the form of charts, maps, and infographics. In The Truthful Art, Cairo transforms elementary principles of data and scientific reasoning into tools that you can use in daily life to interpret data sets and extract stories from them. The Truthful Art explains: • The role infographics and data visualization play in our world • Basic principles of data and scientific reasoning that anyone can master • How to become a better critical thinker • Step-by-step processes that will help you evaluate any data visualization (including your own) • How to create and use effective charts, graphs, and data maps to explain data to any audience The Truthful Art is also packed with inspirational and educational real-world examples of data visualizations from such leading publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Estado de São Paulo (Brazil), Berliner Morgenpost (Germany), and many more.