ABSTRACT
Statistical methods are essential for rational decision making and for scrutinizing data for their reliability.1 Statistical analysis is necessary to determine whether one value is significantly different from another. Questions about the efficacy of various experimental treatments can also be answered. The mind-set and vocabulary introduced from statistics is essential for the practicing food chemist. For instance, the word significant has a specific meaning in the context of statistics. Therefore, statistics is a cornerstone of food chemistry. Table 3.1 shows a typical sequence of topic development in elementary statistics. The current treatment is intentionally steamlined. There are no mathematical proofs and we get from a to b with a minimum of fuss. Further information can be found in Petrie and Sabin2 and Sokal and Rolf.3
