Understanding Data: What Numbers Actually Tell You

“Data is like garbage,” statistician John Tukey warned. “You’d better know what you’re going to do with it before you collect it.”

Now your fitness app, your bank, and your boss all track your numbers. The real puzzle is: when those numbers go up or down…what do they *actually* mean?

“Trust the numbers” sounds objective—until two experts stare at the same chart and argue opposite conclusions with equal confidence.