On BBC this Sunday: Steve Ziliak, author of The Cult of Statistical Significance
Originally published by: BBC Radio 4's More or Less, with interviewer Tim Harford, is broadcast on Friday, 23
January at 1330 GMT and will be repeated on Sunday, 25 January at 2000 GMT
(2:00 PM eastern, 3:00 PM central). Click to view details or to listen
in : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/more_or_less/7845787.stm
Click here to enter the controversial world of The Cult of Statistical Significance.
Steve Ziliak, author of "The Cult"
The figures on fertility
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The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has the world's largest database on artificial insemination.
But how does the HFEA make all this information useful to anxious couples considering having IVF treatment?
To find out Tim Harford speaks to Lisa Jardine, chair of the
HFEA and Helen Joyce the education correspondent for the Economist and
mathematician, who has had IVF treatment herself.
Maths of the credit crunch
Continuing with our credit crunch series, Paul Willmott returns to explain how the value of the global derivatives market could possibly
be three times that of the world economy - a figure amounting to $150
trillion.
And, following a deluge of emails he responds to listeners'
gripes about his piece on traders' bonuses from our 2nd January
programme.
Statistical significance
Professor Steve Ziliak, economist and co-author of 'The Cult of
Statistical Significance' discusses the mathematical tool for
separating random from real effects.
He explains to us why the misunderstanding of statistical
significance has lead to bad government policy making and how one
particularly famous brewery employed the technique to improve the pints
we enjoy today.
Recession
Its official - the UK is in recession, defined by the second consecutive quarter of negative growth that was announced today.
But why do define recession this way and how is negative growth calculated?
To find out we speak to Martin Weale, director of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research.
BBC Radio 4's More or Less is broadcast on Friday, 23 January at 1330 GMT and repeated on Sunday, 25 January at 2000 GMT (2:00 PM eastern, 3:00 PM central). Click to view details or to listen in : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/more_or_less/7845787.stm
Click here to enter the controversial world of The Cult of Statistical Significance.
