Go Figure: Making Numbers Count

02/07/2024

A five-year flashback here, from my January 2019 program at the Ela Area Public Library.

Looking forward to bringing Go Figure: Making Numbers Count to area venues in 2024, including those that focus on separating fact from fiction related to the U.S. Presidential campaigns. In 2020, I led a dozen such workshops for area libraries.

One of your neighbors posted in Arts & Entertainment. Click through to read what they have to say. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)

10/16/2023

The remarkable Tom Steury has been taking, and tracking, his free throws for 18 years. He's made 93% of his attempts and, at 83, is getting better---he's been 96% the past two years!

Learn more via my recent column:

At 83 years young, Tom Steury recently made his 1 millionth free throw since he began tracking his efforts in 2005. He’s a sweet-shooting, swish-seeking inspiration to me.

07/24/2023

A blast from the past (about four years ago) along the Chicago River..." Seeing is Understanding"

Matt Baron speaks along the Chicago River as he explains the importance of creating pictures that enable your audience to visualize a mathematical point. Sin...

10/05/2022

From last week, when Aaron Judge was at 60 home runs. Glad he got #62 last night, though the Triple Crown appears out of reach (he'd need to go 4-for-4 in his final game today for a chance):

One of your neighbors posted in Sports. Click through to read what they have to say. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)

09/21/2022

When an entire crew fails to recognize the abject absurdity of a tweet, an egg-on-the-face math gaffe is the consequence:

https://www.insideedgepr.com/epic-math-gaffe-by-brian-williams-mara-gay-highlights-desperate-need-for-improved-numeracy/

08/01/2022

An Associated Press story from 1989, on Michigan's championship basketball win over Seton Hall.

"The top of whose head"--an all-time wacky phrase. One doesn't dunk with the top of one's head, and beyond that, is this a back-door way to slip in the fact that the hoop is 10 feet high?

06/24/2022

During my trip to Southern California last week, I walked a friend through how I compute the day of the week for any date between 1600 and 2100. Sharing it here, for those who may care about such a formula!

https://www.facebook.com/1077320086/videos/394109222681779/

04/24/2022

Congrats to Miguel Cabrera on 3,000 hits.

Here's my look on his remarkable journey, including his season playing for the Kane County Cougars. My Daily Herald column also includes a unique analysis of how his path compares to other 3000-hit club members.

Since playing at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, Miguel Cabrera's arc has taken a course similar to other diamond legends: Meteoric rise to prominence as a Marlin in the National League, an extended reign of dominance through the bulk of his career, and then an injury-riddled decline the past half-decad...

01/27/2022

Looking at the historical frequency of U.S. males named Matt & Ryan, then the likelihood of the Bears firing a Matt (Nagy) as coach & a Ryan (Pace) as GM, then hiring Matt Eberflus & Ryan Poles for those posts: about 1 in 8,000.

(Some might argue those are roughly the odds of the Bears winning the Super Bowl any time soon.)

12/08/2021

Some remarks, from a 2013 essay, on the crucial distinction between percent change and percentage point change.

Sixteen years ago this summer, an editor at the newspaper where I toiled came to my desk and asked if I would be interested in writing a column that centered on numbers. He was aware of my passion for and facility with numbers–in fact, I was in the midst of creating the Home Run Power Ratio as ste...

11/16/2021

From a missive last week: c'mon, Axios folks....just indicate "11 out of 24" rather than this "46% of 99 polled, with 25% response rate" business. :-)

09/16/2021

When does a top 10 list include a dozen entries? When, wonder of wonders, you have a 4-way tie at 9th place.

This is the recurring phenomenon with my alma mater, Northwestern University, as well as three other institutions of higher learning sharing that #9 spot. A good way for U.S. News and World Report to get its name out there more prominently, too. How convenient, huh?

Northwestern was named the 9th best university in the country in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings for the third year in a row. NU tied for the No. 9 spot with the California Institute of Technology, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University. This marks the fourth consecutive year...