For new JMP users, whether students or practitioners, this book is a hospitable and accessible introduction to the process and logic of statistical investigations, as well as to the latest release of JMP. For veteran users, JMP^® Start Statistics, Sixth Edition will introduce new functionality and may very well reveal fresh insights. Far more than a traditional software manual, this is a delightful guided tour through standard and advanced techniques, interspersed with essays about the nature and practice of statistics. The illustrative examples come from many fields of endeavor and enliven the text.

Chapters often begin with an interesting narrative that depicts a real decision-making situation or historical investigation, and then provide instruction balanced between "what is the relevant technique all about" and "how do we tackle this in JMP?" For example, the chapter on regression starts with Galton's original investigation of the heights of children and parents, provides an especially accessible explanation of the method of least squares, illustrates the method using one of the outstanding Teaching Demonstrations, and then goes on with further examples using data from published studies. Phrases like "notice this" or "Does the regressor really affect the response" are interspersed between the step-by-step instructions so that readers practice the discovery process that is so essential.

The writing throughout is clear, lively, conversational, and direct. Non-statisticians and professional analysts alike will find the prose is speaking to them. Sometimes the language is lyrical, as in the section entitled "The Yin and Yang of Statistics" where we find the sentiment that the yin of statistics:

On the other side, we find the contrapositive Yin, the moon, reflecting the light. The yin catches the shadow of the world, feeling the shape of truth under the umbra. The yin is forever looking and listening for clues, nurturing seeds of pattern and anomaly into maturing discoveries. The yin whispers its secrets to our left hemisphere. It unlocks doors for us in the middle of the night, planting dream seeds, making connections. The yin draws out the puzzle pieces to tantalize our curiosity. It teases our awareness and tickles our sense of mystery until the climax of revelation Eureka!

So here we have an unusual book about computational statistics. It is fun to read, at times inspiring and peppered with historical "behind-the-scenes" tidbits (like the delay in the discovering the hole in the ozone layer because of investigators too quick to dismiss outliers in their measurements). Most unusual of all is that, like a gracious movie star, JMP itself steps back and allows statistical analysis to have top billing."

Robert Carver
Professor of Business Administration
Stonehill College

 

As we use software to analyze data and solve problems we encounter situations in which we need a little help. We have questions like "What statistical tool should I use? "How do I get this data into JMP?" How do I interpret this output?" Perhaps you need a refresher or maybe the appropriate tool is new to you. This book will provide the answers to many of these questions.

The tools discussed cover a wide variety of statistical tools,the elementary to the complex, and application areas such as customer service, R&D, operations, quality control, marketing and supply chain. Sequences of JMP commands are provided so you can see which JMP commands are needed to produce an analysis and in what sequence. Exercises and answers are included enabling the book to be useful in the classroom as well as in the workplace.

So JMP Start Statistics is both a software manual as well as a statistics text. It goes beyond the basics and includes many, many real data sets to illustrate different types of statistical analyses, as well as different areas of application. Anyone using JMP should have this book close at hand.

Ronald D. Snee, PhD
Snee Associates, LLC
Newark, Delaware

Like previous editions, this new edition emphasizes how JMP promotes better analysis by linking statistical modeling to visual displays. This book illustrates how JMP's interactive visual displays go beyond static graphics and encourage the sort of data exploration that leads to discoveries. I can show that to the students in class, but this book will be a great reference to help them understand the choices and to recognize the many possible avenues that one can follow in data analysis. JMP emphasizes visual statistics, and this "visual" guide shows how to get the most out of it.

This new edition is a big help getting students started looking at their own data, with great visuals that link data on paper to data in the computer. The help runs the gamut of tools, from early steps such as data transformations to comparing models. I like the visual instructions for using the formula editor, and the annotated screen shots are terrific. The visual aids provide the right hints to navigate both data manipulations and the various statistical tools. Using data to illustrate the commands is a big plus and the exercises with data promote active learning. And, it's great to see more discussion and examples of the useful animated scripts that come with JMP. I've found these very helpful to explain technical concepts to nonmathematical students.

Robert A. Stine
Professor of Statistics
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

JMP^® Start Statistics: A Guide to Statistics and Data Analysis Using JMP^®, Sixth Edition is a lively and appealing introduction to statistics and Version 13 of JMP statistical software. Going far beyond being a software manual, it presents accessible discussions of statistical topics and statistical thinking as it connects these with the visually focused JMP software. Statistical concepts are discussed and illustrated with hands-on tutorials. Exercises are provided to enhance user proficiency. Data tables available in JMP are used throughout.

"JMP has seen significant enhancements in terms of features and organization since the publication of the fifth edition of this classic work in 2012. Retaining the basic structure of the previous edition, this new edition features JMP 13. New features of JMP, including the enhanced formula editor, are discussed and illustrated with hands-on tutorials, following the topic outline in the previous edition. The new menu structure is used throughout.

"This book is ideal for anyone who wants to learn JMP and some basic statistical thinking. The book covers material that relates to introductory statistics, modeling, process control, and design of experiments. As such, the book will greatly benefit industrial courses that cover these areas, and it will provide an excellent adjunct to academic courses."

Marie Gaudard
Statistical Consultant
Professor Emerita of Statistics