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Why We Love Statistics

Statistics are everywhere–and they’re increasingly used to drive decisions around the globe. Baseball statistics guru Bill James is coming to Longwood for the annual Simkins Lecture on April 23, so the math department put together some of their favorite uses of statistics in the real and sports worlds.

Because we can prove that Babe Ruth is the greatest of all time.

babe ruth

And we can prove it over and over again.

Because snow outside doesn’t necessarily mean the whole world is colder.

snow

Who can define “polar vortex”?

Because our favorite NBA stars know where to stand to hit shots.

nba

And who can stop Lebron from scoring in the paint.

Because it can get us into March Madness.

march madness

Or at least beat the other LU. And it may even help us win our office pool.

Because we can see how the world is changing.

Chart showing the trend towards smaller families and longer lives

Smaller families, longer lives.

Because Jonah Hill can outshine Brad Pitt.

jonah hill

A win for geeks everywhere.